EXCHANGE 


DEFT. 


WOMEN'S   EDUCATIONAL  AND    INDUSTRIAL 
UNION,    BOSTON 

DEPARTMENT    OF    RESEARCH 


STUDIES  IN  ECONOMIC  RELATIONS  OF  WOMEN 


LONGMANS,  GREEN  &  COMPANY,  PUBLISHERS 
NEW  YORK,  LONDON,  BOMBAY  AND  CALCUTTA 

*  VOLUME  I,  Part  1.  Vocations  for  the  Trained  Woman.  Oppor- 
tunities Other  than  Teaching.  Edition  exhausted. 

VOLUME  I,  Part  2.  Vocations  for  the  Trained  Woman:  Agriculture, 
Social  Service,  Secretarial  Service,  Business  of  Real  Estate. 
By  Eleanor  Martin,  Margaret  A.  Post,  Fellows  in  the  Depart- 
ment of  Research  and  the  Committee  on  Economic  Efficiency  of 
College  Women,  Boston  Branch,  Association  of  Collegiate 
Alumnae.  Prepared  under  the  direction  of  Susan  M.  Kingsbury, 
Ph.D.,  Director.  1914.  8vo.  Cloth.  Price,  $1.50  net.  Post- 
age extra.  (Weight  2  pounds.) 

VOLUME  II.  Labor  Laws  and  their  Enforcement,  with  Special 
Reference  to  Massachusetts.  By  Charles  E.  Persons,  Mabel 
Parton,  Mabelle  Moses  and  Three  "Fellows."  Edited  by 
Susan  M.  Kingsbury,  Ph.D.,  Director  of  the  Department  of 
Research.  Preface  by  Edwin  F.  Gay,  Ph.D.,  Harvard  Uni- 
versity. 1911.  8vo.  Cloth.  Price,  $1.50  net.  Postage  extra. 
(Weight  3  pounds.) 

VOLUME  III.  The  Living  Wage  of  Women  Workers.  A  study  of 
the  Incomes  and  Expenditures  of  450  Wage-earning  Women  in 
the  City  of  Boston.  By  Louise  Marion  Bosworth,  Fellow  in  the 
Department  of  Research.  Edited  with  an  introduction  by 
F.  Spencer  Baldwin,  Ph.D.,  Boston  University.  1911.  8vo. 
Cloth.  Price,  $1.00  net.  Postage  extra.  (Weight  2  pounds.) 

VOLUME  V.  Millinery  as  a  Trade  for  Women.  By  Lorinda  Perry, 
Ph.D.,  Fellow  in  the  Department  of  Research.  Prepared  under 
the  direction  of  Susan  M.  Kingsbury,  Ph.D.,  Director.  1915. 
8vo.  Cloth.  Price,  $1.50  net.  Postage  extra.  (Weight  2 
pounds.) 

WOMEN'S  EDUCATIONAL  AND  INDUSTRIAL  UNION 

PUBLISHERS 
264  BOYLSTON  STREET,  BOSTON 

VOLUME  IV.  Dressmaking  as  a  Trade  for  Women.  By  May 
Allinson,  A.M.,  Fellow  and  Associate  Director  of  the  Depart- 
ment of  Research.  Prepared  under  the  direction  of  Susan  M. 
Kingsbury,  Ph.D.,  Director.  In  the  press.  8vo.  Cloth. 
Price,  $0.80  net.  Postage  extra.  (Weight  2  pounds.) 

VOLUME  VI.  The  Boot  and  Shoe  Industry  as  a  Trade  for  Women. 
By  the  Department  of  Research.  Susan  M.  Kingsbury,  Ph.D., 
Director,  May  Allinson,  A.M.,  Supervisor  of  the  Investigation, 
Lila  Ver  Planck  North,  Editor.  In  the  press.  8vo.  Cloth. 
Price,  $0.80  net.  Postage  extra.  (Weight  2  pounds.) 

VOLUME  VII.  Industrial  Home  Work  in  Massachusetts.  Prepared 
under  the  direction  of  Amy  Hewes,  Ph.D.,  Supervisor  of  the  In- 
vestigation for  the  Department  of  Research.  In  co-operation 
with  and  published  by  the  Massachusetts  Bureau  of  Statistics. 
1915.  8vo.  Cloth.  Price,  $0.80  net.  Postage  extra.  (Weight 
2  pounds.) 

VOLUME  VIII.  The  Public  Schools  and  Women  in  Office  Service. 
By  the  Department  of  Research.  Prepared  under  the  direction 
of  May  Allinson,  A.M.,  Associate  Director.  Published  by  the 
Boston  School  Committee.  1914.  8vo.  Cloth.  Price,  $0.80 
net.  Postage  extra.  (Weight  2  pounds.) 


*VOLUME  I,  Part  3.     Domestic  Science  as  a  Vocation  for  Women. 
Will  be  published  in  the  fall  of  1915. 


WOMEN'S  EDUCATIONAL  AND  INDUSTRIAL  UNION 

BOSTON 

DEPARTMENT  OF  RESEARCH 


STUDIES  IN 
ECONOMIC  RELATIONS  OF  WOMEN 

VOLUME  VII 


INDUSTRIAL  HOME  WORK 
IN  MASSACHUSETTS 


BY 

THE  DEPARTMENT  OF  RESEARCH 

WOMEN'S  EDUCATIONAL  AND  INDUSTRIAL  UNION 

BOSTON 


PREPARED  UNDER  THE  JOINT  DIRECTION  OF 

THE  MASSACHUSETTS  BUREAU  OF  STATISTICS 

AND 

AMY  HEWES,  Pn.D. 

SUPERVISOR  OF  INVESTIGATION  FOR  THE 
DEPARTMENT  OF  RESEARCH 


PUBLISHED  BY 

WOMEN'S  EDUCATIONAL  AND  INDUSTRIAL  UNION 

BOSTON,  MASS. 

1915 


WRIGHT  &  POTTER  PRINTING  COMPANY 

BOSTON 

1915 


••-....• 


PREFACE 


Is  industrial  home  work  a  survival  of  the  domestic  system  of  pro- 
duction? 

Is  it  a  return  to  the  domestic  system  whereby  the  tendency  of  pro- 
duction to  escape  from  the  home  may  be  checked  and  women  may  evade 
economic  parasitism  with  its  resultant  social,  economic  and  moral  slavery? 

Or  is  it  a  phase  of  modern  industrialism  bearing  an  intimate  relation 
to  every  feature  and  problem  of  modern  production? 

The  first  intimation  of  the  widespread  custom  of  so-called  home  work 
came  to  the  Department  of  Research  in  1910-1911,  while  pursuing  a 
study  of  the  manufacture  of  machine-made  clothing.  At  that  time  our 
social  experts  confidently  asserted  that  there  were  in  Massachusetts  no 
sweated  industries.  And  indeed  the  sentiment  prevailed  that  whatever 
of  home  work  existed  was  either  a  very  small,  well-regulated  system, 
applicable  only  to  wearing  apparel,  or  was  a  survival  of  the  domestic 
system  of  production,  and  appeared  in  the  form  of  products  sold  through 
women's  exchanges  or  directly  to  the  consumer. 

Now,  there  is  without  doubt  a  group  of  workers,  we  do  not  know  how 
large  or  how  important,  who  carry  over  the  eighteenth  century  custom 
of  production  in  the  home.  These  appear  as  "home  milliners,"  "home 
dressmakers,"  "home  bakers"  and  laundresses,  who  employ  less  than  five 
workers  and  do  not  therefore  form  "shops,"  according  to  Massachusetts 
law.  But  the  workers  who  had  commanded  our  attention  and  aroused 
our  interest  formed  a  far  larger  and  very  different  group.  They  did  not 
provide  their  own  materials.  They  did  not  produce  a  completed  article. 
Many  of  them  did  not  perform  a  skilled  operation.  They  did  not  sell  to 
whom  and  where  they  wished,  but  they  received  from  a  factory  a  certain 
amount  of  material  which  they  were  to  fashion  into  a  specified  form  and 
send  back  to  the  factory  for  a  specified  wage,  or  they  received  a  partially 
completed  article  or  part  of  an  article  together  with  material  upon  which 
they  were  to  perform  a  specified  process,  partially  or  fully  completing  its 
manufacture.  None  of  the  handicraft  stage  with  all  its  inspiration  for 
creation  remained.  The  market  was  no  longer  open  to  them,  in  which 
they  could  sell  their  product,  including  their  labor,  to  the  highest  bidder, 


Vlll  PREFACE 

knowing  exactly  what  part  of  the  total  production  was  due  to  their  skill. 
They  could  sell  only  their  labor,  and  this  must  be  in  a  much  more  re- 
stricted market,  and  therefore  at  a  much  more  unsatisfactory  bargain. 
Industrial  home  work,  so  called,  existent  in  Massachusetts  is  therefore 
not  a  survival  of  the  handicraft  nor  even  of  the  domestic  system  of  pro- 
duction. 

Some  of  us  saw,  or  thought  we  saw,  herein  the  glorious  possibility  of  a 
return  to  domestic  production,  if  not  the  domestic  system  of  production. 
Here  a  woman  could  spend  idle  days  or  hours,  or  the  hours  when  other 
domestic  processes  were  under  way  and  not  requiring  close  attention,  in 
earning  the  dollars  which  her  mother  and  grandmother  saved  by  spinning 
and  weaving  and  baking  and  candle  making.  But  this  extended  investi- 
gation has  brought  conclusive  evidence  and  leaves  no  vestige  of  a  doubt. 
The  present  system  is  in  no  sense  a  return  to  the  domestic  system,  nor 
does  it  show  any  tendency  to  rehabilitate  production  in  the  home  whereby 
women  may  evade  economic  parasitism. 

Industrial  home  work  is  distinctly  a  phase  of  modern  industrialism 
bearing  an  intimate  relation  to  every  other  phase  of  modern  industrialism. 
In  it  we  see  exemplified  in  its  highest  development,  (1)  subdivision  of 
labor;  (2)  reduction  of  activities  of  the  workers  from  those  of  a  trade  to 
that  of  a  process;  (3)  imposition  upon  the  worker  of  the  burden  of  charges 
for  waste,  inefficiency  and  transportation;  (4)  irregularity  of  employment 
due  to  the  seasons,  to  shortage  of  work,  or  to  rush  of  work,  whereby  the 
burden  of  unemployment  is  thrown  entirely  upon  the  worker;  (5)  piece 
payment  whereby  hourly  earnings  can  be  given  only  at  the  maximum 
amount  possible  to  secure,  and  actual  earnings  or  even  rate  of  earnings 
are  most  difficult  to  discover;  (6)  uncertainty  of  contract;  and  (7),  most 
noticeable  of  all,  the  number  of  hands  through  which  the  work  passes 
from  producer  to  consumer,  as  seen  in  the  increasing  employment  of  sub- 
contractors, agents,  workers  and  subworkers.  The  attendant  evils  of 
child  labor,  of  overstrain,  of  long  hours  of  labor  for  women,  of  unsanitary 
conditions  for  the  worker,  of  extension  of  disease  to  consumers  are  in 
danger  of  being  present  to  a  more  marked  degree  than  in  regular  factory 
life. 

The  home  has  become,  then,  an  annex  to  the  shop,  whereas  under  the 
earlier  system,  even  when  conditions  were  most  distant  from  the  pure 
handicraft  system,  the  shop  was  an  annex  to  the  home.  Under  the 
present  order  of  things  the  home  is  a  part  of  the  shop  from  the  point  of 
view  of  manufacturer,  from  the  point  of  view  of  employee,  —  in  fact 
from  every  point  of  view  except  that  of  the  responsibility  of  the  State  to 


PREFACE  IX 

regulate  conditions  of  employment.  The  late  Hon.  Carroll  D.  Wright 
declared  that  in  a  factory  the  work  is  carried  on  under  one  roof,  the 
processes  are  performed  by  machinery,  and  the  article  of  manufacture 
passes  from  hand  to  hand  for  completion.  According  to  this  definition 
the  kitchens  or  the  living  rooms  or  the  bedrooms  of  at  least  20,000  homes 
in  Massachusetts  are  factories  in  every  sense  of  the  term,  except  that  all 
the  processes  of  the  work  are  not  performed  under  one  roof.  The  work 
passes  from  hand  to  hand  and  is  often  performed  by  machinery  in  the 
home  factory  as  well  as  in  the  parent  factory. 

Is  this  development  desirable?  Does  it  make  for  the  best  interests  of 
the  home  and  of  the  community?  As  it  increases  in  extent  and  in  amount 
will  it  result  in  educational  advancement  for  our  children,  higher  stand- 
ards for  our  homes  and  a  strengthening  of  the  family  unit? 

To-day  laws  applying  to  the  factories  do  not  apply  to  the  annex  to  the 
factory  which  has  been  established  in  the  home.  If  the  State  decides  to 
allow  the  home  to  evolve  into  a  factory,  is  this  right?  Is  it  fair  to  the 
worker?  Is  it  fair  to  the  consumer?  Is  it  fair  to  industry?  Is  it  fair  to 
the  public?  Ought  not  the  factory  in  the  home  to  be  regulated  equally  with 
the  factory  out  of  the  home?  That  is,  should  not  the  State  institute  a 
system  of  regulation  and  inspection  whereby  every  home  shop  should  be 
visited  regularly  and  the  laws  be  enforced  as  to  child  labor,  sanitation, 
disease,  light,  cleanliness,  hours  of  labor,  contract  for  pay,  proper  accom- 
modations for  work? 

But  is  this  feasible?  Is  it  possible?  And  even  if  possible,  would  exten- 
sion of  regulation  and  inspection  be  commensurate  with  the  profit  to  the 
worker  in  the  home?  Would  such  extension  of  regulation  and  inspection 
be  commensurate  with  the  return  in  productivity  to  the  State?  Would 
such  extension  of  regulation  and  inspection  be  commensurate  with  the 
return  to  the  employer? 

This  report  is  an  endeavor  to  arrive  at  facts  which  should  enable  the 
public  to  come  to  some  conclusion  with  regard  to  these  vital  questions. 
In  the  fall  of  1914,  after  this  report  had  been  issued  as  Labor  Bulletin 
No.  101  by  the  Massachusetts  Bureau  of  Statistics,  a  conference  repre- 
senting agencies  in  Massachusetts  which  are  concerned  with  social  welfare 
met  to  consider  the  need  for  legislative  action  with  regard  to  the  subject. 
It  immediately  sent  a  committee  to  confer  with  the  State  Board  of  Labor 
and  Industries.  The  Board,  finding  itself  embarrassed  because  of  the 
enforced  disorganization  of  its  Department  of  Home  Work  Inspection, 
decided  to  analyze  its  current  records  respecting  licensed  home  workers, 
and  secured  the  services  of  the  Department  of  Research  of  the  Women's 


X  PREFACE 

Educational  and  Industrial  Union.  At  the  close  of  this  preface  a  sum- 
mary of  the  study  is  reprinted,  by  the  courtesy  of  the  Board,  from  its 
annual  report.  The  full  text  of  the  study  is  printed  in  Industrial  Bulletin 
No.  4. 

No  phase  of  this  or  of  the  later  report  is  of  greater  significance  than 
that  of  hourly  rate.  Difficult  to  secure,  the  investigators  made  very 
careful  experiments  and  computations  with  good  workers  in  each  type  of 
product,  and  thus  were  able  to  give  the  hourly  earnings  of  workers  in 
each  process.  These  represented  the  hourly  income  for  a  good  worker, 
and  thus  the  maximum  earnings  possible  to  the  large  majority  in  that 
group.  Doubtless  some  are  able  to  make  and  do  make  a  higher  hourly 
wage,  but  the  great  majority  do  not  and  cannot  exceed  that  wage.  The 
presentation  on  rate  of  wage  from  the  current  records  of  the  State  Board 
of  Labor  and  Industries  is  meager,  as  the  question  was  not  followed  up 
closely  on  the  schedules.  But  the  data  secured  tend  to  corroborate  the 
careful  analysis  of  the  earlier  study  and  report.  On  the  other  hand,  in 
the  study  made  by  the  Board  are  clear  data  as  to  the  cost  of  proper  inspec- 
tion to  the  State,  and  as  to  the  value  of  home  work  to  the  employer, 
which  do  not  appear  in  the  earlier  study.  Where  employers  have  but 
one  or  two  home  workers,  or  workers  in  many  scattered  communities,  the 
waste  is  striking,  and  the  need  or  value  of  the  system  is  at  once  seen  to  be 
incommensurate  with  the  cost  to  the  State  and  to  the  worker. 

The  resolutions  of  the  committee  resulting  from  consideration  of  both 
reports  are  conclusive.1  They  are  as  follows:  — 

(1)  There  are  but  two  solutions  for  the  problem  of  industrial   home 
work,  —  total  prohibition  or  total  licensing. 

(2)  Total  licensing  is  impossible,  and  an  attempt  would  result  in  the 
imposition  of  a  tax  on  the  State  which  is  out  of  all  proportion  to  its  value. 

(3)  Total  prohibition  should  be  the  goal  for  which  we  should  work,  and 
no  steps  should  be  taken  which  lead  in  any  other  direction. 

(4)  At  present  such  a  measure  would  be  unwise,  as  too  drastic. 

(5)  At  present,  for  the  protection  of  public  health,  it  would  be  best  to 
prohibit  manufacturing  and   mercantile  establishments  from   giving  out 
home  work  when  it  involves  work  on  children's  clothing,  doll  and  doll 
outfits,  toys  and  games  (all  things  which  have  to  do  with  children),  foods 
and  all  things  which  have  to  do  with  foods  (frills,  skewers,  etc.),  table 
linen,  handkerchiefs,  etc. 

1  The  committee  was  composed  of  Miss  Susan  M.  Kingsbury,  representing  the  Women's  Educational  and 
Industrial  Union;  Mrs.  Frank  Hallowell,  representing  the  Massachusetts  Consumers'  League;  Mr.  Richard 
Conant,  representing  the  Massachusetts  Child  Labor  Committee.  In  addition,  the  bill  introduced  by  the  Board 
was  indorsed  by  Mrs.  Wm.  Z.  Ripley,  representing  the  Massachusetts  Women's  Trade  Union  League;  Mr.  Carroll 
Doten,  representing  the  Labor  Legislation  Association;  and  Mr.  Fred  R.  Johnson,  representing  the  Associated 
Charities. 


PREFACE  XI 

(6)  In  order  to  enable  the  Board  to  enforce  the  laws  now  on  the  statute 
books  every  manufacturing  and  mercantile  establishment  giving  out  home 
work  should  be  required  to  send  a  list  of  such  employees  to  the  Board  of 
Labor  and  Industries  each  month. 

On  March  17,  Mr.  George  D.  Chamberlain,  on  behalf  of  the  State  Board 
of  Labor  and  Industries,  entered  the  accompanying  bill,  House  No.  1882, 
before  the  Legislature,  which  had  the  indorsement  of  the  committee,  be- 
lieving that  such  a  movement  would  result  in  a  better  adjustment  of 
factory  work  both  in  the  factory  proper  and  in  the  home,  and  would 
gradually  convince  the  public  at  large  and  the  home  worker  in  particular 
that  the  extension  of  the  factory  into  the  home  will  not  bring  economic 
production  and  economic  independence  to  women. 

AN  ACT  TO  PROVIDE  FOR  REGULATING  INDUSTRIAL  WORK  DONE  IN  TENEMENTS  AND 

DWELLING  HOUSES. 
Be  it  enacted,  etc.,  as  follows: 

SECTION  1.  Every  person  operating  a  manufacturing  establishment,  and  every 
person  acting  as  a  contractor  or  subcontractor  for  a  manufacturing  establishment, 
who,  whether  by  himself  or  through  agents,  servants  or  foremen,  contracts  for  the 
manufacturing,  altering,  repairing  or  finishing  of  any  articles  in  a  tenement  or  dwelling 
house,  or  gives  out  material  from  which  any  such  articles  are,  in  whole  or  in  part,  to 
be  manufactured,  altered,  repaired  or  finished,  in  a  tenement  or  dwelling  house,  shall 
keep  a  register  plainly  written  in  English  containing  the  names  and  addresses  of  the 
persons  to  whom  such  articles  or  materials  are  given  to  be  so  manufactured,  altered, 
repaired  or  finished,  or  with  whom  he  has  contracted  to  do  the  same,  and  stating  the 
kind  of  articles  or  materials  given  to  each  person;  and  shall  issue  with  all  such  articles 
or  materials  a  label  bearing  the  name  and  place  of  business  of  such  factory  written  or 
printed  legibly  in  English.  The  register  shall  be  subject  to  inspection  by  the  state 
board  of  labor  and  industries,  or  by  any  of  its  inspectors  or  agents,  and  a  copy  thereof 
shall  be  forwarded  once  a  month  to  said  board,  as  well  as  such  other  information  as 
it  may  require.  The  label  mentioned  in  this  section  shall  be  exhibited  on  the  demand 
of  said  board,  its  inspectors  or  agents,  at  any  time  while  said  articles  or  materials 
remain  in  the  tenement  or  dwelling  house. 

SECTION  2.  No  person  operating  a  manufacturing  establishment,  or  acting  as  an 
agent,  contractor  or  subcontractor  therefor  shall  contract  for  or  give  out  to  be  manu- 
factured, altered,  repaired  or  finished  in  a  tenement  or  dwelling  house  articles  of  food 
or  paper  frills,  napkins,  plates,  bonbons  or  skewers  which  are  to  be  used  in  connection 
with  food,  or  any  other  articles  which  are  to  be  used  in  connection  with  food,  or  table 
linen,  or  handkerchiefs,  or  toothbrushes,  or  dolls  or  articles  of  dolls'  clothing,  or  toys, 
or  games,  or  articles  of  children's  or  infants'  wearing  apparel,  or  materials  from  which 
any  of  the  above  mentioned  articles,  or  any  part  of  them,  are  to  be  manufactured. 

SECTION  3.  The  term  "wearing  apparel",  as  used  in  this  act,  and  in  sections  one 
hundred  and  six,  one  hundred  and  seven  and  one  hundred  and  eight,  of  chapter  five 
hundred  and  fourteen  of  the  acts  of  the  year  nineteen  hundred  and  nine,  shall  be  held 
to  include  all  articles,  or  parts  of  articles,  or  ornaments,  to  be  worn,  made  in  whole  or 


Xll  PREFACE 

in  part  of  paper,  of  straw,  of  textiles  or  of  leather.  Whoever  violates  any  provision  of 
the  two  preceding  sections  shall  be  punished  by  a  fine  of  not  less  than  fifty  nor  more 
than  five  hundred  dollars. 

SECTION  4.  For  the  purpose  of  enforcing  the  provisions  of  sections  one  hundred 
and  six  to  one  hundred  and  eleven,  inclusive,  of  chapter  five  hundred  and  fourteen  of 
the  acts  of  the  year  nineteen  hundred  and  nine,  and  for  the  purpose  of  enforcing  the 
provisions  of  this  act  and  other  related  acts,  the  state  board  of  labor  and  industries 
shall  have  power  to  appoint  and  remove,  in  conformity  with  the  provisions  of  section 
eight  of  chapter  seven  hundred  and  twenty-six  of  the  acts  of  the  year  nineteen  hundred 
and  twelve,  as  amended  by  section  eight  of  chapter  eight  hundred  and  thirteen  of  the 
acts  of  the  year  nineteen  hundred  and  thirteen,  six  inspectors  in  addition  to  the  number 
therein  provided. 

SECTION  5.  For  the  purposes  of  this  act  the  state  board  of  labor  and  industries 
may  expend,  annually,  out  of  the  treasury  of  the  commonwealth,  a  sum  not  to  exceed 
ten  thousand  dollars. 

At  the  hearing  before  the  committee  on  social  welfare,  on  March  24, 
1915,  the  bill  was  indorsed  by  the  following  organizations:  the  Massa- 
chusetts Child  Labor  Committee,  the  Massachusetts  Consumers'  League, 
the  Women's  Trade  Union  League,  the  Massachusetts  Associated  Chari- 
ties and  the  Women's  Educational  and  Industrial  Union,  and  no  opposi- 
tion appeared.  Nevertheless  the  bill  was  referred  to  the  next  General 
Court. 

In  support  of  the  resolution  of  the  committee,  I  am  presenting  a  list  of 
conclusions  based  on  this  report,  with  statistical  data  drawn  from  the 
study.  In  addition,  the  summary  of  the  "Report  on  Industrial  Home 
Work"  made  to  the  State  Board  of  Labor  and  Industries  is  reprinted  by 
permission  of  the  Board,  so  that  at  least  an  outline  of  all  of  the  data  now 
available  on  the  subject  may  be  included  in  this  volume.  The  reader  will 
find  the  full  report  of  the  State  Board  in  Industrial  Bulletin  No.  4.  Com- 
plete information  and  extensive  tables  are  presented,  based  on  very  careful 
returns  which  had  been  secured  through  current  records  of  the  Depart- 
ment of  Home  Work  Inspection  in  the  winter  and  spring  of  1914,  before 
its  abolition  due  to  a  decision  rendered  by  the  Attorney-General.  It 
should  be  remembered  that  these  records  deal  with  home  workers  who 
have  been  licensed  by  the  Board,  —  a  group  from  which  the  undesirable, 
unsanitary,  diseased  homes  have  been  excluded;  and  also  it  must  be  re- 
membered that  the  grade  of  applicant  has  been  proved  to  be  very  much 
raised  by  a  careful  system  of  licensing.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  such 
careful,  thorough  work  as  that  conducted  by  the  Board  in  the  brief  in- 
terval permitted  will  be  encouraged  hereafter  not  only  in  this  department 
but  in  all  phases  of  its  activity. 


PREFACE  Xlll 


CONCLUSIONS  BASED  ON  THE  STUDY  OF  INDUSTRIAL  HOME  WORK 
IN  MASSACHUSETTS,  PRESENTED  IN  THIS  VOLUME. 

A.  THE  ECONOMIC  CONDITIONS  OF  FAMILIES  AFFECTED  DO  NOT  JUSTIFY  INDUSTRIAL 

HOME  WORK. 
I.    The  families  involved  are  not  dependent  on  home  work. 

(a)  Only  36  out  of  1,450  families  are  shown  to  be  entirely  dependent  on 

home  work. 

(6)  83  per  cent  of  the  families  have  an  income  of  $500  or  over, 
(c)  56  per  cent  of  the  families  have  an  income  of  $750  or  over. 
II.    There  would  not  be  a  great  sacrifice  if  families  surrendered  this  privilege. 
(a)  The  total  annual  income  from  home  work  is  insignificant.     (Report, 

pp.  46,  47.     Information  based  on  pay  rolls.) 
75  per  cent  of  the  families  and  77  per  cent  of  the  individuals  received 

less  than  $100. 
87  per  cent  of  the  families  and  88  per  cent  of  the  individuals  received 

less  than  $150. 

Only  3  per  cent  of  the  families  and  2  per  cent  of  the  individuals  re- 
ceived $300  or  over. 

The  median  earning  for  all  workers  is  about  $100. 

(6)  This  income  will  have  been  greatly  reduced  by  abolition  of  child  labor, 
(c)  The  homes  are  "  generally  comfortable." 
III.    The  families  involved  are  not  of  a  dependent  class  (Report,  p.  33). 

(a)  Married  women  comprise  nearly  65  per  cent  of  the  women  workers 

sixteen  years  of  age  and  over. 

(&)  The  women  workers  are  not  without  a  male  wage  earner  in  the  family; 
81  per  cent  of  the  women  workers  had  male  wage  earners  in  the 
family. 

(c)  Married  women  are  not  forced  to  be  dependent.  Only  15  per  cent  of 
the  women  workers  were  widowed,  separated,  divorced  or  deserted. 

B.  ECONOMIC  EFFECTS  OF  INDUSTRIAL  HOME  WORK  ARE  INJURIOUS  TO  THE  COM- 

MUNITY. 
I.    The  rate  of  wages  is  disgracefully  low  (Report,  pp.  50,  51). 

(a)  The  hourly  rate  for  50  per  cent  is  less  than  8  cents;  for  22  per  cent, 

less  than  5  cents.    That  is,  in  a  week  of  fifty-four  hours  50  per  cent 

have  a  wage-earning  capacity  of  less  than  $4.32  per  week,  and  23  per 

cent  have  a  wage-earning  capacity  of  less  than  $2.70  per  week. 
(6)  In  a  week  of  forty-eight  hours  50  per  cent  have  a  wage-earning  capacity 

of  less  than  $3.84  per  week,  and  23  per  cent  have  a  wage-earning 

capacity  of  less  than  $2.40  per  week. 
II.    The  seasons  are  extremely  irregular  (Report,  pp.  14,  15). 

(a)  Home  workers  in  134  factories  comprise  57.8  per  cent  of  the  total 

number  employed,  but  earn  only  8  per  cent  of  the  wages. 
(6)  67  per  cent  of  the  families  who  were  not  employed  the  full  year  were 

idle  because  of  no  work. 


XIV  PREFACE 

C.  CONTINUATION  OF  WORK  IN  THE  HOME  is  FRAUGHT  WITH  GRAVE  DANGER  IN 

THE  FUTURE. 

I.  From  the  point  of  view  of  health.  This  may  be  due  to  contagious  diseases 
unreported;  to  infectious  diseases  not  required  to  be  reported;  to 
the  introduction  of  processes  which  are  not  healthful;  to  the  im- 
possibility of  regulating  posture,  light,  air,  etc.  (Report,  p.  58). 

Only  32  out  of  1,450  families  had  a  workroom. 

32  per  cent  of  the  families  reporting  used  the  living  room  or  various  rooms. 

Only  50  used  a  bedroom. 

50  per  cent  of  the  families  reporting  used  kitchens  as  workrooms. 
II.    From  the  point  of  view  of  child  labor.    It  is  practically  impossible  to  pre- 
vent child  labor. 

III.  From  the  point  of  view  of  hours  of  labor. 

IV.  From  the  point  of  view  of  wage.    It  superinduces  low  standards  of  pay 

and  thus  endangers  wages. 

D.  THE  MOVEMENT  TOWARD  PROHIBITION  OF  INDUSTRIAL  HOME  WORK  is  STRONG 

AND  is  ADVANCING  (Report,  pp.  20,  21). 
I.    Trade  unions  prohibit  home  work  in  the  garment  workers'  trade  and  in 

the  tobacco  trade. 

II.    Child  labor  has  been  prohibited  in  Massachusetts  since  beginning  this  study. 
Over  one-fifth  of  workers  studied  have  been  cut  out  of  possibility 
of  home  work. 
III.    Machines  are  being  introduced  to  supplant  home  work. 

E.  REGULATION  BY  LICENSING  AND  INSPECTION  is  EXTREMELY  DIFFICULT. 

I.    Licensing  has  failed  in  Massachusetts  (Report,  pp.  23-28). 

(a)  More  than  one-half  the  families  visited  at  work  on  wearing  apparel 

were  not  licensed. 

(6)  Formerly,  214  families  at  work  on  wearing  apparel,  who  were  visited, 
living  in  12  cities,  were  not  regulated  (with  one  exception). 

(c)  Massachusetts  has  been  endeavoring  to  regulate  home  work  since 

1891,  that  is,  for  twenty-four  years. 

(d)  Licensing  and  inspection  has  been  carried  on  in  the  metropolitan 

Boston  district  only,  whereas  wearing  apparel  is  the  subject  of  in- 
dustrial home  work  in  every  corner  of  the  State:  Chicopee,  North- 
ampton, Foxborough,  Haverhill,  Leominster,  Newburyport,  Reading, 
Salem,  Framingham,  West  Springfield,  Springfield,  Worcester. 
II.  There  are  many  other  industries  which  it  is  as  important  or  more  important 
to  license  than  wearing  apparel  (Report,  pp.  12,  13),  e.g.:  — 

(a)  Paper  goods:  frills,  skewers,  boxes,  paper  plates,  paper  napkins,  paper- 
doll  outfits,  flowers,  rosettes,  fans,  caps,  and  favors. 

(6)  Celluloid  goods:  fans,  bandeaux,  napkin  rings,  boxes,  cards  for  hair- 
pins, nests  for  hairpins,  etc. 

(c)  Brushes,  including  toothbrushes. 

(d)  Silk  goods,  including  darning  and  embroidery  silks. 

(e)  Curtains,  bedspreads  and  dresser  covers. 
(/)  Toys  and  games. 

(g)  Human  hair. 

(h)  Centerpieces,  doilies,  towels,  table  and  bed  linen,  handkerchiefs. 

(i)  Circulars  and  envelopes. 


PREFACE  XV 

F.  THE  EXPENSE  TO  THE  STATE  OF  ENFORCING  THE  PRESENT  LAW  REGULATING 

HOME  INDUSTRY  WILL  BE  VERY  GREAT. 

I.  The  law  introduced  last  year  prohibiting  child  labor  imposes  great  obliga- 
tion on  the  Board  of  Labor  and  if  properly  enforced  would  mean 
licensing  and  inspection  of  all  families  carrying  on  home  work. 
II.  The  area  to  be  covered  for  the  inspection  of  wearing  apparel,  as  well  as  of 
child  labor,  is  very  much  larger  than  heretofore  covered  or  even  con- 
templated (Report,  p.  8). 

(a)  Almost  one-half  of  the  home  work  is  carried  on  in  towns  of  between 
6,000  and  20,000  population. 

(6)  Over  three-fourths  of  the  home  work  is  carried  on  outside  of  Boston. 

(c)  15  per  cent  is  carried  on  in  cities  having  between  50,000  and  400,000 

population. 

(d)  Very  little  is  carried  on  in  rural  districts. 

(e)  Much  of  the  home  work  is  carried  on  in  towns  other  than  those  in 

which  the  factories  giving  out  the  work  are  located. 

III.  The  extension  of  the  law  to  cover  the  industries  which  are  as  important 

from  the  point  of  view  of  health  and  sanitation  as  is  wearing  ap- 
parel (see  list  above)  would  increase  the  labor  of  licensing  and  in- 
spection and  regulation  very  largely,  and  require  at  least  twice  as 
large  a  force  as  for  wearing  apparel  alone. 

IV.  The  extension  of  the  law  to  cover  all  industries  and  enforce  the  child  labor 

law  would  increase  the  labor  of  licensing  and  inspection  and  require 
more  than  four  times  as  large  a  force  as  for  wearing  apparel  alone. 

G.  GENERAL  CONCLUSIONS. 

I.  Industrial  home  work  results  in  competition  between  factory  workers  and 
home  workers,  indirectly  if  not  directly.  This  study  shows  that 
there  is  no  competition  in  process  in  and  out  of  factory,  and  con- 
sequently no  direct  competition  as  to  wage. 

(a)  It  reduces  fluctuation  of  labor  in  the  factories  by  taking  such  workers 
out. 

(6)  It  permits  employers  to  emphasize  the  seasonal  character  of  the  trade 
by  permitting  them  to  secure  labor  at  will  for  short  periods,  thus 
introducing  labor  competition. 

(c)  More  steady  work  to  those  in  the  factory  who  need  it  should  result 
from  the  inability  of  the  manufacturers  to  give  out  work  to  the  home. 
Rental  space  alone  would  prevent  such  large  numbers  being  employed 
at  one  time  and  would  force  longer  seasons. 
II.     Industrial  home  work  introduces  an  unsound  economic  basis. 

(a)  The  employer  pays  low  wages  and  no  rent,  takes  no  risk,  imposes 

charges  on  worker,  and  throws  responsibility  on  the  contractor. 

(b)  Both  employer  and  worker  measure  value  of  service  by  "  compensa- 

tion" which  comes  from  ability  to  do  work  at  home,  or  by  the  very 
great  competition  among  workers,  due  to  the  large  number  willing 
to  work,  instead  of  by  productive  power  of  services  or  by  the  value  of 
the  product.  Because  of  inability  to  restrict  or  regulate  the  labor 
supply,  and  because  of  the  tremendous  supply  of  rush  labor,  this 
becomes  extremely  dangerous  and  forces  low  wages. 


XVI  PREFACE 

G.  GENERAL  CONCLUSIONS  —  Concluded. 

III.  The  theory  that  industrial  home  work  will  develop  production  in  the  home 

is  untenable. 

(a)  The  restoration  of  production  to  the  home  has  not  actually  taken  place. 

(6)  The  increased  price  of  wearing  apparel  and  fancy  articles  due  to  higher 
wages,  if  the  sweated  industries  were  abolished,  would  force  women 
to  produce  for  their  own  consumption;  thus  productivity  in  the 
home  would  continue,  but  for  home  consumption  and  not  for  the 
factory. 

IV.  Enforcement  of  prohibition  could  be  accomplished  by  the  regular  inspectors 

without  large  increase  of  labor  because  directed  against  the  manufac- 
tures, where  other  laws  are  being  enforced. 

(a)  The  inspector  can  easily  see  from  the  type  of  product  in  a  factory 
whether  there  is  danger  of  home  work. 

(6)  Discovery  through  the  schools  is  possible. 

(c)  Discovery  through  local  health  boards  is  possible. 

REPORT    ON    INDUSTRIAL    HOME    WORK,    LICENSED    IN 
MASSACHUSETTS. 

The  following  is  reprinted  from  the  second  annual  report  of 
the  State  Board  of  Labor  and  Industries,  January,  1915. 

REPORT  OF  THE  BOARD. 

Enforcement  of  the  laws  by  which  the  manufacture  of  wear- 
ing apparel  in  tenements  or  dwelling  houses  is  regulated  in- 
volves the  granting  of  licenses  to  all  workers;  the  maintenance 
of  a  list  of  all  such  workers  engaged  by  employers;  continuous 
inspection  of  all  such  tenements  or  dwellings  to  see  that  they 
are  kept  clean;  and  the  revocation  of  licenses  for  workers 
dwelling  in  tenements  or  dwellings  where  contagious  or  com- 
municable diseases  may  appear. 

Seven  distinct  processes  are  necessary  to  attain  these  ends :  — 

First.  —  The  State  Board  of  Labor  and  Industries  must  re- 
ceive applications  from  any  member  of  a  family  which  desires 
to  do  such  work. 

Second.  —  The  inspectors  of  the  State  Board  of  Labor  and 
Industries  must  examine  "  every  room  and  apartment  in  which 
garments  or  articles  of  wearing  apparel  are  made,  altered,  re- 
paired or  finished,  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  whether  said 
room  or  apartment  or  said  garment  or  articles  are  clean  and 
free  from  vermin  and  from  infectious  or  contagious  matter" 
before  a  license  can  be  granted. 


PREFACE  XV11 

Third.  —  A  license  must  be  granted  to  the  member  of  the 
family  desiring  the  license. 

Fourth.  —  The  Board  must  require  the  employer  to  send 
each  month  to  the  Board  a  register  of  the  names  and  addresses 
of  all  persons  so  employed. 

Fifth.  —  Inspectors  must  investigate  dwellings  and  tene- 
ments where  licenses  have  been  granted  frequently  enough  to 
be  assured  that  they  are  "  kept  in  a  cleanly  condition." 

Sixth.  —  Inspectors  must  protect  the  public  safety  by  revok- 
ing the  license  whenever  infectious  or  contagious  diseases  shall 
appear  as  reported  daily  to  the  State  Board  of  Labor  and  In- 
dustries by  the  local  department  of  health. 

Seventh.  —  Licenses  must  be  re-issued,  if  desired,  when  such 
dangers  to  public  safety  shall  have  passed. 

Contemplation  of  the  problem  of  industrial  homework  has 
raised  many  queries  and  has  developed  many  diverse  theories 
as  to  its  basis,  as  to  its  value,  both  social  and  economic,  as  to 
its  validity,  and  as  to  the  extent  of  regulation  and  restriction 
desirable.  The  following  analysis  of  data  secured  by  the  State 
Board  of  Labor  and  Industries  in  the  process  of  performing 
its  function  of  inspection  and  regulation  endeavors  to  answer 
the  questions  suggested  above :  — 

Homework  is  denned,  in  "  Industrial  Homework  in  Massa- 
chusetts," l  as  being  "  the  manufacture  or  preparation  within 
the  home  of  goods  intended  for  sale,  in  which  the  work  supple- 
ments the  factory  process." 

Modern  conditions  of  production  have  brought  a  new  set  both 
of  industrial  and  of  social  conditions.  With  the  concentration 
of  workers  in  cities,  large  and  small,  have  grown  up  the  tene- 
ment districts  of  cities  like  New  York,  Chicago  or  Boston, 
which  constitute  such  a  problematic  feature  of  these  and  other 
cities.  The  tenement  house  situation  in  our  big  cities  involves 
not  only  the  problem  of  securing  for  the  dweller  light  and  air 
and  decent  conditions  of  living  and  sanitation,  but  it  also  in- 
volves the  maintenance  of  proper  conditions  of  work.  The 
results  are  two  quite  separate  considerations:  first,  protection 
of  the  consumer  by  insuring  that  the  work  shall  be  done  in  the 
home  under  conditions  safe  from  communicable  disease;  sec- 

i  See  p.  11. 


XV111  PREFACE 

ond,  protection  of  the  worker,  which  includes  (a)  the  elimina- 
tion of  child  labor,  (&)  the  assurance  of  regularity  and  honesty 
in  payment  of  wages  and  some  return  commensurate  with  the 
labor  expended,  and  (c)  regulation  of  the  hours  of  labor  and 
of  wage  rate  as  compared  with  the  factory  worker. 

Much  attention  has  for  a  long  time  been  devoted  to  the  first 
problem,  —  that  of  protection  of  the  consumer ;  but  the  second 
problem,  namely,  the  protection  of  the  worker,  has  up  to  the 
present  time  received  but  little  consideration.  It  is  therefore 
not  only  questions  of  health  and  sanitation,  but  also  of  eco- 
nomics and  finance,  which  the  full  report  discusses. 

The  analysis  of  the  current  records  (September,  1913,  to 
July,  1914)  which  have  been  collected  by  the  Division  of  Home- 
work Inspection  in  the  process  of  licensing  and  regulation  of 
homework  has  been  made  in  order  to  present  to  the  public  all 
information  and  knowledge  which  the  Board  has  been  able  to 
gain.  Later  the  Board  will  publish  a  bulletin  which  will  in- 
clude the  complete  details  of  this  analysis. 

REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER. 
The  Extent  of  the  Licensing  System. 

1.  Of  the  8,000  applications  annually  received,  only  about 
6,000  licenses  are  granted,  but  this  requires  about  12,000  visits, 
or  about  2  for  each  license.    Almost  one-half  of  these  visits  are 
unnecessary,  as  fully  44  per  cent,  of  the  applicants  have  given 
a  wrong  address,  have  moved,  or  do  not  desire  a  license. 

2.  The  number  of  revocations  because  of  communicable  dis- 
ease due  to  reports  from  the  local  boards  of  health  is  small,  — 
164  for  the  year.     Considered  in  relation  to  homework,  which 
is  not  now  licensed,  this  number  becomes  large.     At  least  656 
homes  in  which  homework  is  being  done  may  contain  communi- 
cable disease.    On  the  other  hand,  the  grade  of  family  to  which 
licenses  are  granted  is  good,  21  per  cent,  of  the  families  being 
graded  by  the  inspectors  as  A;  62  per  cent,  as  B;  17  per  cent, 
as  C. 

3.  The  number  of  applicants  who  do  not  really  desire  a  li- 
cense is  very  large,  fully  13  per  cent  of  the  applicants,  while 
the  proportion  of  refusals  of  licenses  because  of  disease,  poor 
sanitation,  etc.,  is  2  per  cent,  of  the  applications  in  ten  months. 


PREFACE  XIX 

4.  The  installation  of  a  more  strict  licensing  system  in  Feb- 
ruary tended  to  reduce  the  number  of  refusals,  to  raise  the 
grade  of  the  licensed  families,  and  to  decrease  the  actual  num- 
ber of  applications,  especially  the  number  of  those  not  desiring 
work,  etc.    A  lessening  of  vigilance  will  doubtless  result  in  an 
increase  of  the  number  of  homes  in  which  disease  and  unde- 
sirable sanitary  conditions  appear. 

5.  The  expense  of  the  system  for  six  months  of  very  careful 
inspection  and  six  months  of  mere  routine  granting  of  licenses 
was   $9,240.69,   including   employment   of   about   4.2   investi- 
gators and  2.6  clerical  and  supervisory  employees  and  incidental 
expenses.     But  there  is  in  the  State  of  Massachusetts  about 
four  times  as  much  homework  in  other  industries  as  in  the 
manufacture  of  wearing  apparel,  and  many  of  these  industries 
seem  to  require  regulation  equally  with  those  now  licensed, 
viz.,  manufacture  of  frills,  skewers,  paper  plates,  paper  nap- 
kins, paper-doll  outfits,  rosettes,  caps,  favors,  bandeaux,  cards 
for  hairpins,  running  pants,  tooth  brushes,  other  brushes,  cur- 
tains, bedspreads,  dresser  covers,  human  hair,  doilies,  towels, 
table  linens,  bed  linens,  handkerchiefs  and  center  pieces. 

Location  of  HomeworJcers  in  the   State    (based  on  Licenses 
granted  February  to  August,  1914)  • 

1.  During  this  period  2,439  licenses  were  granted  in  103 
towns.     The  concentration  of  workers  in  the  metropolitan  area, 
the  large  suburbs,   and   a  few  large  outlying  manufacturing 
centers  is  noticeable.     In  metropolitan  Boston  there  are  591 
licenses,  or  24  per  cent ;  in  the  large  suburbs  such  as  Maiden, 
Everett,  etc.,  301,  or  12  per  cent. ;  in  Haverhill,  with  its  sub- 
urbs, 322,  or  13  per  cent. ;  in  Newburyport,  with  its  suburbs, 
301,  or  12  per  cent. ;  and  in  Lynn  and  suburbs  there  are  131, 
or  5  per  cent.    But  a  large  number  of  workers  are  found  scat- 
tered throughout  the  State  mostly  in  towns  with  1  to  5  workers. 
There  are  21  towns  in  which  only  1  license  was  granted  during 
this  period.     Thirty-four  towns  have  only  1  to  5  licenses,  while 
in  17  towns  there  are  from  5  to  10.     Thus  in  the  large  ma- 
jority of  towns  there  are  but  10  or  less  workers,  this  being 
true  of  69  per  cent,  or  72  out  of  103  towns. 

2.  The  cities  and  towns  where  licenses  are  granted  are  mostly 


XX  PREFACE 

grouped  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  State,  with  a  few  isolated 
centers,  such  as  Martha's  Vineyard  and  Nantucket,  which  are 
dependent  on  Boston  for  work  and  materials,  and  a  few  inde- 
pendent centers,  such  as  Worcester  and  Springfield.  An  inter- 
esting fact  is  that  no  licenses  are  to  be  found  in  some  of  the  most 
important  manufacturing  centers,  such  as  Lawrence,  Lowell, 
Fall  River  and  New  Bedford. 

Location  of  Industries  giving  out  Homework. 

1.  The  industries  which  manufacture  wearing  apparel  and 
which  give  out  homework  to  2,633  workers  are  14  in  number. 
Their  product  is  as  follows:  (1)   aprons;  (2)  athletic  goods; 
(3)  crocheting;  (4)  clothing  other  than  pants ;  (5)  embroidery; 
(6)  hosiery;  (7)  knit  goods;  (8)  neckwear;  (9)  pants;  (10) 
sewing;   (11)   shoe  ornaments;   (12)  taping;   (13)   sewing  on 
straw;  (14)  stitching. 

2.  The  order  of  importance  of  these  industries,  gauged  by  the 
numbers  employed,  is  as  follows :  — 

(a)  Shoe  Ornaments.  —  In  this  industry  there  are  93  firms 
which  distribute  work.  Licenses  have  been  granted  to  955 
workers,  which  are  distributed  over  30  towns.  The  centers  of 
the  industry  are  to  be  found  in  Newburyport,  Haverhill,  Lynn 
and  Lowell.  The  maximum  number  of  workers  employed  by  a 
single  firm  is  84.  On  the  other  hand,  many  towns  are  found 
in  which  there  are  only  one  or  two  workers.  Despite  the  con- 
centration of  this  industry  in  four  towns  it  is  also  true  that  there 
are  131  workers  distributed  over  22  towns. 

(6)  Knit  Goods.  —  Twenty-six  firms  are  reported  in  knit 
goods  and  297  workers.  Unlike  those  working  on  shoe  orna- 
ments, the  workers  on  knit  goods  are  found  scattered  throughout 
the  eastern  and  southern  part  of  the  State.  The  maximum  num- 
ber employed  by  a  single  firm  is  80.  In  this  industry,  also, 
many  towns  are  found  with  only  one  or  two  workers.  In  at 
least  4  cases  one  firm  distributes  to  5,  8  and  9  towns. 

(c)  Pants.  —  In  the  making  of  men's  pants  there  are  50 
firms  distributing  work  and  333  workers  are  employed.  Unlike 
the  first  two  industries,  the  making  of  pants  centers  in  the  met- 
ropolitan district.  Another  feature  which  distinguishes  this  in- 
dustry is  that  there  are  small  groups  of  workers  employed  by 
many  firms  in  one  city. 


PREFACE  XXI 

(d)  Sewing  and  Crocheting.  —  In  sewing  there  are  46  firms. 
Thirty-one  towns  are  represented  in  this  industry,  which  also 
centers  in  the  metropolitan  district.  Five  firms  are  found, 
each  of  which  distributes  work  to  at  least  8  towns.  Crocheting 
is  found  in  48  towns,  37  firms  distributing  work  to  207  work- 
ers. These  207  workers  employed  in  crocheting  are  scattered 
from  the  extreme  western  to  the  extreme  eastern  part  of  the 
State,  with  the  largest  center  of  the  industry  in  Salem. 

In  the  remaining  9  industries  there  are  454  workers.  Two 
of  these  industries  show  a  tendency  to  develop  a  center,  viz., 
aprons,  in  which  42  workers  are  found  in  Boston,  and  embroid- 
ery in  which  54  workers  are  found  in  Boston.  The  others  are 
scattered  throughout  the  State. 

Responsibility  of  Mothers  in  the  Family  Group. 

1.  In  more  than  three-fourths  of  the  families  where  home- 
work is  done  the  father  is  living,  this  being  true  of  78  per  cent, 
of  a  total  of  2,205.     In  practically  all  the  families  where  the 
father  is  living  he  is  at  work ;  in  only  46  cases  out  of  the  num- 
ber reported  has  he  been  found  idle ;  and  in  practically  all  the 
families  the  mother  is  doing  homework  or  other  work.     But 
in  only  42  cases  is  the  mother  reported  as  doing  outside  work. 

2.  The  largest  group  in  the  entire  list  of  families  is  that  in 
which  the  father  is  living  and  is  at  work,  and  in  which  there 
are  no  children  at  work.     In  this  group,  however,  there  are 
found  to  be  from  1  to  4  dependent  children.     The  next  largest 
group  is  483  out  of  the  1,410  families,  34  per  cent,  or  over 
one-third,  which  are  reported  as  having  no  dependent  children. 
Almost  one-fifth  of  the  families  are  reported  as  having  1  or  2 
children  dependent,  while  about  one-eighth  have  3  children  de- 
pendent, and  less  than  one-tenth  have  4,  but  the  last  group  of 
families  mentioned  has  its  income  supplemented  by  boarders  in 
about  a  fifth  of  the  cases. 

3.  Of  the  families  where  the  father  is  living,  1  child  is  at 
work  in  148  families.     Of  these  families  about  an  equal  num- 
ber have  1,  2,  3  and  4  dependent  children.     The  number  of 
families  where  there  are  more  children  at  work  is  small. 

4.  About  one-sixth  of  the  total  number  of  families,  or  356 
out  of  the  total  2,205,  have  no  male  wage  earner.     Of  this 


XX11  PREFACE 

group,  only  about  one-fourth,  or  91  families,  have  dependent 
children  and  no  children  at  work.  Of  these,  28  take  boarders. 
5.  Of  the  entire  2,205  families,  40  per  cent,  have  no  de- 
pendent children  and  21  per  cent,  have  only  1  dependent  child, 
and  only  38  per  cent,  have  2  or  more  children.  Of  the  entire 
number,  82  per  cent,  have  no  children  at  work. 

Economic  Status  of  the  Family. 

1.  About  one-third  of  the  families  live  in  houses  for  which 
they  pay  more  than  $15  per  month,  or  over  $180  per  year,  and 
are  therefore  above  the  average  economic  group.     About  one- 
fifth  live  in  houses  for  which  they  pay  $15  to  $20  per  month. 
Almost  one-fifth  (18  per  cent.)  of  the  families  live  in  houses 
for  which  they  pay  $10  to  $12  per  month,  or  $120  to  $144  per 
year.     One-fourth  of  the  families  live  in  houses  for  which  $10 
or  less  is  paid  per  month,  or  less  than  $120  per  year,  or  the 
lowest  scale  of  rents. 

2.  The  income  from  sources  other  than  homework  is  reported 
by  the  week,  and  therefore  must  be  estimated  as  a  maximum 
wage-earning  power,  or  an  outside  figure.     On  this  basis  the 
incomes  fall  into  three  well-defined  groups :  — 

First.  —  Those  whose  income  is  from  $780  to  $1,560,  or  501 
families,  or  30  per  cent,  of  the  total  number. 

Second.  —  Those  whose  income  is  $520  and  under  $750,  or 
400  families,  or  24  per  cent,  of  the  total  number. 

Third.  —  Those  having  an  annual  income  over  $312  and  not 
more  than  $520,  or  573,  or  35  per  cent,  of  the  families  reported. 
A  large  part  of  this  class  supplement  their  income  by  taking 
boarders  or  lodgers  (234  out  of  362).  The  earlier  report  shows 
the  incomes  as  somewhat  higher,  26  per  cent,  having  between 
$500  and  $750,  and  only  17  per  cent,  having  under  $500  as  an 
income. 

3.  About  three-fourths  of  the   fathers   are   reported   as  in 
skilled  occupations. 

4.  The  income  from  homework  is  also  reported  by  the  week, 
and  therefore  the  statement  of  the  income  is  that  of  the  amount 
it  may  be  possible  to  earn,  not  of  the  actual  earnings  each  week. 
As  the  work  is  so  variable  and  seasonal  the  yearly  statement  is 
the  maximum  possible  to  earn,  and  probably  represents  in  no 


PREFACE  XX111 

case  the  actual  annual  income.  The  largest  group  of  families 
of  homeworkers  reports  $1.50  to  $2  per  week.  Thus  211,  or 
17  per  cent,  under  steady  work  might  earn  $78  to  $104  per 
year ;  about  two-fifths  of  the  workers  earn  less  than  $2  per  week, 
or  a  possible  $104  a  year.  The  maximum  weekly  income  re- 
ported is  about  $5.  In  this  study  of  1913-14,  based  on  pay 
rolls,  the  seasonal  character  of  the  work  is  shown  by  the  very 
small  annual  incomes.  Thus  the  largest  group,  forming  28 
per  cent,  earned  under  $25  per  year,  75  per  cent,  secured  less 
than  $100  per  year,  and  87  per  cent,  less  than  $150  per  year. 
5.  The  hourly  rate  reveals  the  real  place  of  homework,  for 
it  shows  an  extremely  low  productive  power  on  the  part  of  the 
workers,  and,  from  the  point  of  view  of  wage,  casts  industrial 
homework  on  wearing  apparel  into  the  group  of  sweated  trades. 
This  report  corroborates  the  earlier  study  of  industrial  home- 
work, in  which  71.4  per  cent,  of  the  workers  in  wearing  apparel 
were  proved  to  be  earning  less  than  10  cents  per  hour,  and  the 
majority  between  7  and  10  cents  per  hour.  In  the  present 
study  the  majority  seems  to  be  able  to  secure  8  to  10  cents  an 
hour. 

Housing  Conditions  where  the  Workers  live. 

1.  The   proportion   of   tenements   to    dwellings   in   Boston, 
Worcester  and  Haverhill  is  very  large,  but  outside  these  three 
cities  it  is  very  small.     Of  the  tenements,  the  majority,  or  54 
per  cent,  are  in  metropolitan  Boston  and  the  Haverhill  district, 
15  per  cent,  being  in  Haverhill.     In  Worcester  we  also  find  a 
fairly  large  percentage  of  tenements,  13  per  cent,  of  the  total 
number  being  in  this  city,  but  the  proportion  in  other  centers 
is  very  small,  only  2  to  6  per  cent,  of  the  total. 

2.  Outside  of  Boston,  and  in  cities  not  having  strict  regula- 
tions as  to  tenements  and  house  sanitation,  there  are  560  tene- 
ments where  licensed  homeworkers  live. 

3.  The  cleanliness  and  general  conditions  of  the  residences 
of  homeworkers  are,  in  fully  one-half  of  the  cases,  graded  as  B ; 
also  the  cleanliness  of  buildings  of  applicants  and  workroom  is 
very  good,  only  11  per  cent,  being  graded  as  C.     The  majority 
of  houses,  when  considered  as  a  whole,  are  graded  as  A  or  B, 
77  per  cent,  falling  in  this  class.     But  in  Boston  proper  the 
majority  of  houses,  62  per  cent.,  are  graded  as  C. 


XXIV  PREFACE 

Conditions  of  Living:  the  Number  of  Rooms  and  the  Size  of 

Family. 

1.  About  half  of  the  tenements  in  the  103  towns  have  five 
and  six  rooms.     Of  these  tenements,  227,  or  24  per  cent.,  have 
five  rooms,  and  225,  or  23  per  cent.,  have  six  rooms.     In  the 
large  centers  outside  of  Boston  an  even  larger  proportion  of  ten- 
ements are  of  five  or  six  rooms.     In  Haverhill  44  per  cent,  have 
six  or  more  rooms,  while  in  Newburyport  the  percentage  is  47 
and  in  Lowell,  46.     In  Boston  there  is  a  sharp  change  to  the 
three-room  tenement,  70  per  cent,  of  the  tenements  having  only 
two  or  three  rooms.     Of  these,  33  per  cent,  are  found  on  the 
third  floor  and  20  per  cent,  on  the  fourth  floor. 

2.  The  majority  of  dwellings  throughout  the  State,  on  the 
other  hand,  have  six  or  more  rooms.     Considering  the  State  as 
a  whole,  66  per  cent,  of  the  dwellings  contain  six  or  more  rooms. 
In  the  metropolitan  district  the  percentage  is  55,  in  the  large 
suburbs,  70,  while  in  the  outlying  towns  it  is  78  or  more. 

3.  The  average  family  group  is  made  up  of  3  to  4  people, 
and  the  prevailing  condition  is  that  of  one  and  one-half  rooms 
for  one  person.     Outside  of  Boston  the  number  of  cases  where 
an  undue  number  of  occupants  are  found  is  very  small.     In 
houses  of  A  grade  the  predominating  group  is  3  people,  and  they 
live  in  six  rooms.     In  houses  of  B  grade  the  predominating 
group  is  4  people,  and  they  live  in  six  rooms.     In  houses  of 
C  grade  the  predominating  group  is  4  people,  and  they  live  in 
two  rooms. 

Conditions  of  'Workrooms. 

The  work  is  carried  on  for  the  most  part  in  the  kitchens  or 
dining  rooms,  the  majority  being  done  in  the  kitchens.  The 
ventilation  and  heat  of  workrooms  are  reported  as  being  of  A 
and  B  grade.  In  only  100  out  of  2,450  cases  is  the  ventilation 
reported  as  C,  and  this  is  true  in  only  134  cases  as  to  heat. 

Nationality  of  Workers. 

Twenty-seven  countries  are  represented  outside  of  the  United 
States.  More  than  one-half  of  the  workers  were  born  in  the 
United  States,  there  being  1,065  native-born  workers  reported 


PREFACE  XXV 

and  891  foreign-born.     In  the  order  of  numbers  represented 
these  nationalities  are  Italians,  Canadians,  Irish. 

The  Italians  are  to  be  found  mostly  in  the  making  of  pants 
and  aprons,  the  Canadians  in  the  making  of  shoe  ornaments, 
the  Irish  in  embroidery.  The  largest  number  of  foreign-born 
workers  is  found  in  the  making  of  pants,  the  second  largest 
number  in  the  making  of  shoe  ornaments. 

Nationality  and  Ages  of  Members  of  the  Family. 
The  largest  number  of  mothers  and  fathers  are  twenty-five 
to  thirty-five  years  of  age,  but  there  are  an  almost  equal  number 
thirty-five  to  forty-five  years  of  age.  More  than  half  of  the 
female  workers  are  twenty-five  to  forty-five  years  of  age,  being 
almost  equally  divided  between  the  two  ten-year  age  periods. 
There  is  a  surprisingly  large  number  of  workers  over  sixty 
years  of  age,  —  about  as  many  as  in  any  five-year  group  before 
twenty-five  or  after  fifty  years  of  age. 

SUSAN  M.  KINGSBURY, 
Director  of  the  Department  of  Research,  Women's 

Educational  and  Industrial  Union. 
BOSTON,  April,  1915. 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

Preface vii-xxv 

List  of  Tables xxix-xxxi 

Introductory 1-9 

I.  The  problem  of  home  work,  by  Amy  Hewes 12-29 

1.  Extent  of  home  work  in  industry 12-16 

2.  Location  of  home  work  industries 16-17-=— 

3.  The  level  of  wages 17-19 

4.  Evils  of  home  work 19-20 

5.  The  attitude  of  labor  organizations     .       • 20-21 

6.  Remedies  proposed  —  prohibition  versus  regulation        .       .       .  21-29 
II.  Analysis  of  conditions  in  home  work  industries,  by  Amy  Hewes      .       .  30-58 

1.  Sex  and  age 30-31 

2.  School  attendance 32 

3.  Marital  condition 33 

4.  Domestic  status 33-34 

5.  Nativity 34-36 

6.  Previous  occupation  and  training 36-39 

7.  Yearly  earnings 39-41 

8.  Extent  of  non-employment 41-43 

9.  Yearly  earnings  in  relation  to  age  and  experience     ....  44-46 

10.  Income  from  other  sources 46-48 

11.  Hourly  earnings 48-50 

12.  Women  home  workers  and  dependents 50-52 

13.  Charges  on  earnings 52-53 

14.  Change  of  employment 53-55 

15.  Rent 55 

16.  Living  conditions 56-58 

III.  Detailed  reports  by  industries 59-134 

1.  Wearing  apparel,  by  Margaret  S.  Dismorr        .       .       .       .       .  59-87 

A.  Introductory 59-62 

B.  Men's  clothing  —  coats  and  pants 62-64  ^"" 

C.  Men's  clothing  —  shirts  and  pajamas 65-66  *•" 

D.  Women's  and  children's  clothing  —  machine-made       .       .  66 

E.  Women's  and  children's  clothing  —  hand-work      .       .       .  67-68 

F.  Neckwear,  dress  trimmings,  and  buttons         ....  68-71 

G.  Shoes  and  shoe  trimmings 71-74 

H.  Hosiery  and  machine-knit  goods 74-76 

I.  Suspenders,  garters,  and  elastic  woven  goods         .       .       .  76-78 

J.  Other  wearing  apparel 78-82 

K.  The  Worker  .  82-87 


XXV111  CONTENTS 

PAGE 

III.    Detailed  reports  by  industries  —  Concluded. 

2.  Jewelry  and  silverware,  by  Margaret  Hutton  Abels         .       .       .  88-107 

3.  Paper  goods,  by  Caroline  E.  Wilson 108-118 

4.  Celluloid  goods,  by  Margaret  Hutton  Abels 119-126 

5.  Sporting  goods,  by  Caroline  E.  Wilson 127-132 

6.  Other  industries,  by  Margaret  S.  Dismorr 133-134 

APPENDICES. 

A.  Special  Reports  on  Home  Work 137-142 

B.  Extracts  from  Reports  of  Inspectors  of  Home  Work 143-149 

1.  Massachusetts 143-144\ 

2.  New  York 144-147  ^ 

3.  United  Kingdom 148-149 

C.  Bibliography 150-175 

D.  Specimen  Forms  of  Inquiry 176-181 

Index  ,  183-191 


LIST  OF  TABLES 


TABLE  PAGE 

1.  Relation  of  factory  to  home  workers  and  wages    ......  3 

2.  Methods  by  which  information  was  secured 6 

3.  Manufacturers,  contractors  and  home  workers 7 

4.  Distribution  of  home  workers  by  industries 8 

5.  Relation  of  home  work  to  factory  work  in  134  establishments  in  Massa- 

chusetts           14-15 

SA.  Articles  listed  in  laws  of  12  States  having  legislation  upon  tenement 

manufacture 22 

6.  Licensed  and  unlicensed  families  of  home  workers        .....  26 

7.  Sex  and  age  of  home  workers  in  all  industries 30 

8.  School  attendance  of  home  workers  in  all  industries 32 

9.  Marital  condition  of  home  workers  sixteen  years  of  age  and  over      .       .  33 

10.  Domestic  status  of  women  home  workers  sixteen  years  of  age  and  over   .  34 

11.  Nativity  of  home  workers :  by  industries 34 

12.  Nativity  of  fathers  of  home  workers :  by  industries 36 

13.  Previous  occupations  of  male  home  workers 37 

14.  Previous  occupations  of  female  home  workers 37 

15.  Training  received  by  home  workers:  by  industries 38 

16.  Number  of  individual  home  workers  earning  each  classified  amount  a 

year 40 

16A.  Percentage  of  home  workers  earning  less  than  specified  amount  a  year  41 

17.  Annual  earnings  and  duration  of  non -employment  for  families  of  home 

workers  in  all  industries 42 

18.  Extent  and  causes  of  non-employment  for  families  of  home  workers  in 

all  industries 43 

19.  Number  of  individual  home  workers  earning  each  classified  amount  a 

year:  by  age  groups 44 

19A.  Percentage  of  individual  home  workers  earning   less   than  specified 

amount  a  year:  by  age  groups 45 

20.  Years  of  experience  and  annual  earnings  of  individual  home  workers  in 

all  industries 46 

21.  Annual  earnings  of  families  from  home  work  and  from  other  sources  in 

all  industries 46 

22.  Sources  of  income  exclusive  of  home  work  for  families  in  all  industries     .  47 

23.  Percentage  of  home  workers  earning  less  than  specified  amounts  an 

hour:  by  industries 48-49 


XXX  LIST    OF    TABLES 

TABLE  PAGE 

24.  Percentage  of  home  workers  earning  less  than  specified  amounts  an 

hour:  by  nativity 50-51 

25.  Women  home  workers  sixteen  years  of  age  and  over  and  dependents  .       .  51 

26.  Families  of  home  workers  paying  charges :  by  industries     ....  52 

27.  Change  of  employment:  by  industries 53 

28.  Female  home  workers  having  other  gainful  occupation       ....  54 

29.  Male  home  workers  having  other  gainful  occupation 54 

30.  Families  of  home  workers  living  in  own  or  rented  houses    ....  55 

31.  Living  conditions  of  home  workers:  by  industries 56 

32.  Living  conditions  of  home  workers:  by  nativity 57 

33.  Character  of  room  used  for  home  work:  by  industries        ....  57 

34.  Sex  and  age  of  home  workers  on  wearing  apparel 82 

35.  School  attendance  of  home  workers  on  wearing  apparel:  by  age  and  sex  83 

36.  Number  of  families  of  home  workers  on  wearing  apparel  earning  each 

classified  amount  a  year 84 

37.  Percentage  of  families  earning  less  than  specified  amount   ....  84 

38.  Annual  earnings  of  families  from  home  work  on  wearing  apparel  and 

incomes  from  other  sources 85 

39.  Extent  and  causes  of  non-employment  for  families  of  home  workers  on 

wearing  apparel 87 

40.  Relation  of  home  work  to  factory  work  in  jewelry  and  silverware  estab- 

lishments        98 

41.  Contractors  for  jewelry  and  silverware  manufacturers         .       .       .       .  100 

42.  Sex  and  age  of  home  workers  on  jewelry  and  silverware      ....  102 

43.  School  attendance  of  home  workers  on  jewelry  and  silverware:  by  sex 

and  age 103 

44.  Number  of  families  of  home  workers  earning  each  classified  amount  a 

year:  jewelry  and  silverware 104 

45.  Percentage  of  families  of  home  workers  earning  less  than  specified  amount 

a  year:  jewelry  and  silverware 104 

46.  Annual  earnings  of  families  from  home  work  on  jewelry  and  silverware 

and  incomes  from  other  sources .  105 

47.  Extent  and  causes  of  non-employment  for  families  of  home  workers  on 

jewelry  and  silverware 106 

48.  Sex  and  age  of  home  workers  on  paper  goods 112 

49.  School  attendance  of  home  workers  on  paper  goods:  by  age  and  sex  .       .  113 

50.  Number  of  families  of  home  workers  on  paper  goods  earning  classified 

amount  a  year 115 

51.  Percentage  of  families  of  home  workers  on  paper  goods  earning  less  than 

specified  amount 115 

52.  Annual  earnings  of  families  from  home  work  on  paper  goods  and  incomes 

from  other  sources 116 

53.  Extent  and  causes  of  non-employment  for  families  of  home  workers  on 

paper  goods 117 

54.  Sex  and  age  of  home  workers  on  celluloid  goods 123 

55.  School  attendance  of  home  workers  on  celluloid  goods:  by  age  and  sex   .  124 


LIST    OF   TABLES  XXXI 

TABLE  PAGE 

56.  Number  of  families  of  home  workers  on  celluloid  goods  earning  classified 

amount  a  year 124 

57.  Percentage  of  families  of  home  workers  on  celluloid  goods  earning  less 

than  specified  amount 125 

58.  Annual  earnings  of  families  from  home  work  on  celluloid  goods  and 

incomes  from  other  sources .125 

59.  Sex  and  age  of  home  workers  on  sporting  goods 129 

60.  Number  of  families  of  home  workers  on  sporting  goods  earning  classified 

amount  a  year 130 

61.  Percentage  of  families  of  home  workers  on  sporting  goods  earning  less 

than  specified  amount 130 

62.  Annual  earnings  of  families  from  home  work  on  sporting  goods  and  in- 

comes from  other  sources 131 

APPENDICES. 

A.  Statement  of  licenses  for  entire  period  of  amended  law 147 

B.  Record  of  licenses  for  1913  and  1912 147 

C.  Outwork  (United  Kingdom) 149 


INDUSTRIAL  HOME  WOEK  IN  MASSACHUSETTS 


INTRODUCTORY 

PURPOSE  AND  RESULTS  OF  THE  INQUIRY. 

The  inquiry,  the  results  of  which  are  set  forth  in  this  report,  was 
undertaken  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  information  relative  to  the  extent 
of  "  home  work,"  so-called,  in  Massachusetts,  the  industries  in  which  it 
exists,  its  influence  upon  factory  work  and  wages,  the  type  of  family 
engaged  in  it,  the  motive  for  engaging  in  it,  the  nature  of  the  income  re- 
ceived —  whether  supplementary  or  otherwise  —  and  its  effect  upon  family 
life.  The  subject  was  approached,  furthermore,  with  the  object  in  view 
of  ascertaining  facts  and  conditions  in  their  relation  to: 

(a)  The  workers:  The  number  of  persons  engaged  in  home  work  in 
Massachusetts  by  sex,  age,  and  nationality ;  the  processes  upon  which  they 
are  engaged ;  the  character  of  the  work  and  working  conditions ;  the  wages 
received. 

(6)  The  industries  employing  home  workers:  The  number  of  estab- 
lishments in  each  industry;  the  ratio  of  the  number  of  home  workers  to 
factory  workers ;  the  ratio  of  the  amounts  paid  in  wages  in  the  two  groups ; 
the  determination,  as  far  as  possible,  of  the  extent  to  which  home  work  is 
increasing  or  decreasing;  whether  manufacturers  regard  it  as  necessary 
to  the  industry;  and  how  far  it  is,  in  fact,  an  efficient  method  of  pro- 
duction. 

(c)  The  public:  Whether  conditions  exist  which  endanger  public 
health  or  throw  upon  society  the  burden  of  parasitic  industries. 

While  the  report  may  not  in  all  respects  answer  these  questions  cate- 
gorically or  as  completely  as  might  be  desired,  it  is,  nevertheless,  believed 
that  the  results  as  presented  constitute  a  fairly  comprehensive  and  accurate 
picture  of  this  phase  of  industrial  life  in  Massachusetts  and  may  be  useful 
as  a  basis  for  further  consideration  of  this  important  subject.  Informa- 
tion was  obtained  from  831  employers,  of  whom  675  were  interviewed 
by  agents  of  the  Bureau.  Of  this  number,  284  were  found  to  be  giving 
out  home  work.  The  agents  also  interviewed  53  contractors  or  distribu- 
tors, and  2,409  home  workers.  Complete  information  relative  to  home 


2  HOME   WORK   IN   MASSACHUSETTS 

work  was  r>bt*ii>e<l  from  134  establishments.  The  number  of  individual 
home  workers  connected  with  these  134  establishments  is  estimated  at 
20,075  —  this  estimate  being  based  upon  the  number  of  names  appearing 
on  the  manufacturers'  pay-rolls,  which  often  represent  groups  of  workers, 
and  the  number  of  workers  discovered  actually  at  work. 

The  principal  outstanding  facts  seen  as  the  results  of  this  inquiry  are 
as  follows : 

1.  A  low  average  of  wages  generally  prevails  for  home  work,  59.5 
per  cent  of  those  who  received  payments  for  nine  months  or  longer  during 
the  year  being  found  to  earn  less  than  $100  for  the  year;  78. 5  per  cent 
being  found  to  earn  less  than  $150 ;  and  only  4.1  per  cent  being  found 
to  earn  $300  or  over,  while  50  per  cent  of  those  reporting  their  hourly 
earnings  earned  less  than  eight  cents  an  hour  and  22.5  per  cent  earned  less 
than  five  cents  an  hour.    The  statistics  indicate,  however,  that  home  work 
in  Massachusetts  does  not  represent  the  sole  or  principal  means  of  support 
in  the  overwhelming  majority  of  cases,  only  36  out  of  1,450  families  of 
home  workers  covered  by  the  investigation  being  found  to  be  wholly 
dependent  on  home  work,  while  56.1  per  cent  of  the  1,131  families  report- 
ing income  received  not  less  than  $750  during  the  year  aside  from  home- 
work earnings;  and  80  per  cent  received  $500  or  more  annually  from 
outside  sources.    Moreover,  the  total  income  from  all  sources  of  families 
doing  home  work  is  not  abnormally  low,  the  hours  are  not  excessively 
long,  and  the  sanitary  conditions  surrounding  the  work  are,  on  the  whole, 
satisfactory.     In  these  respects  the  condition  of  home  workers  in  Massa- 
chusetts, as  disclosed  by  this  inquiry,  appears  to  be  appreciably  different 
from  that  shown  by  investigations  elsewhere,  —  for  example,  in  New 
York  and  in  England  where  there  were  found  considerable  numbers  of 
women  totally  dependent  on  home  work,  toiling  for  excessively  long  hours 
at  extremely  low  wages,  and,  consequently,  in  a  state  of  economic  exploita- 
tion properly  designated  as  "  sweated  labor." 

2.  There  is  little  competition  between  factory  and  home  workers,  so 
that  the  effect  upon  factory  work  is  slight.     In  the  134  establishments 
investigated  from  which  complete  data  were  obtained,  the  home  workers 
constituted  57.8  per  cent  of  the  labor  force  and  received  only  eight  per 
cent  of  the  wages  during  year  under  investigation.     In  connection  with 
the  low  pay  and  large  number  of  home  workers,  the  fact  should  be  em- 
phasized that  home  workers  are  not  employed,  as  a  rule,  for  full  time, 
working  generally  only  for  a  few  hours  each  day.     This  fact  accounts  for 
the  discrepancy  between  the  large  number  of  workers  and  the  small  amount 
of  wages.     The  following  table  shows,  for  the  industries  covered  by  the 


INTRODUCTORY 


inquiry,  the  relation  between  the  factory  workers  and  the  home  workers 
with  respect  to  numbers  and  wages. 

TABLE  1.  —  Relation  of  Factory  to  Home  Workers  and  Wages. 


PERCENTAGES  op 

PBBCKNTAGKS  OF 

FACT  OB  Y  — 

HOME  — 

INDUSTRIES. 

Workers 

Wages 

Workers 

Wages 

All  Industries. 

42.2 

92.0 

57.8 

8.0 

57  5 

90.0 

42  5 

10.0 

Paper  goods,      

33.9 

94.9 

66.1 

5.1 

Jewelry  and  silverware,    
Sporting  goods  

25.1 
11.9 
81.5 

91.3 
69.9 
98.5 

74.9 

88.1 
18.5 

8.7 
30.1 
1.5 

Other  industries,       

70.2 

96.9 

29.8 

3.1 

3.  Employment  in  home  work  is  shown  to  be  very  irregular,  the  ma- 
jority of  the  home  workers  being  without  such  employment  for  consider- 
able periods  during  the  year.    Less  than  one-half  of  the  workers  interviewed 
were  occupied  on  home  work  for  nine  months  or  more  of  the  year. 

4.  A  conspicuous  evil  found  was  that  of  child  labor,  approximately 
one-fifth  of  the  home  workers  whose  ages  were  reported  being  under  14 
years  of  age,  while  11  per  cent  were  between  the  ages  of  35  and  40  and 
eight  per  cent  were  over  60.     But  the  employment  of  children  under  14 
in  any  contract  or  wage-earning  industry  carried  on  in  a  tenement  or  other 
house  is  now  prohibited  by  Chapter  831  of  the  Acts  of  1913,  which,  it 
should  be  borne  in  mind,  did  not  take  effect  until  after  the  field  work  on 
this  investigation  had  been  completed. 

5.  Harried  women  formed  nearly  threes-fifths  of  the  total  number  of 
home  workers  16  years  of  age  and  over.  —  Eighty-one  per  cent  of  these 
women  home  workers  had  an  adult  male  wage-earner  in  the  family. 
Sixty-five  per  cent  of  the  home  workers  16  years  of  age  and  over  were 
married,  21  per  cent  were  single,  and  14  per  cent  were  widowed,  separated, 
divorced,  or  deserted. 

6.  Living  conditions  in  the  homes  visited  were  found  to  be  generally 
good,  although  numerous  instances  of  over-crowding  were  discovered. 

7.  Home  work  is  not  confined  to  the  congested  tenement  districts,  less 
than  one-fourth  of  the  workers  whose  environment  was  investigated  being 
found  in  Boston,  7.4  per  cent  being  found  in  communities  ranging  from 
20,000  to  50,000  in  population,  and  about  50  per  cent  in  communities 
ranging  between  6,000  and  20,000. 

So  far  as  it  may  be  determined  from  the  facts  shown,  home  work  in 
Massachusetts  is  an  extremely  low-paid  form  of  occupation,   involving 


4  HOME   WORK   IN   MASSACHUSETTS 

frequent  and  prolonged  periods  of  non-employment,  and  conspicuous  on 
account  of  the  young  children  of  school  age  who  have,  hitherto  at  least, 
shared  in  this  employment.  It  is  to  be  remembered,  however,  that 
this  form  of  labor  is  now  prohibited  for  children  under  14  and  that 
the  majority  of  home  workers  are  married  women,  supported  by  husbands 
or  sons  with  fairly  adequate  wages,  and  spending  only  a  few  hours  each 
day  in  the  attempt  to  add  to  the  family  income;  that  is,  home  work  is 
seldom  an  absolute  necessity  for  the  persons  who  undertake  it  and  even 
more  rarely  is  it  a  sole  source  of  income.  But  it  is  doubtful  whether  the 
mere  fact  that  home  work  in  Massachusetts  appears,  from  the  evidence  of 
this  inquiry,  not  to  have  been  characterized  thus  far  by  such  pronounced 
evils  as  have  attended  it  elsewhere  should  be  accepted  as  sufficient  reason 
for  the  maintenance  by  the  State  of  a  laissez  faire  attitude  toward  it. 

The  present  law  provides  for  the  licensing  and  inspection  only  of  home 
work  in  the  making,  altering,  repairing,  and  finishing  of  wearing  apparel, 
but  the  State  Board  of  Labor  and  Industries  gives  as  its  opinion  that  the 
law  should  include  within  its  scope  "  all  articles  made,  altered,  repaired, 
finished,  ornamented,  or  adapted  for  sale,"  and  it  has  recommended  legis- 
lation to  this  effect.  "  The  thinking  public,"  says  the  Board  in  its  first 
annual  report,  "  may  well  demand  that  the  same  laws  relating  to  sanita- 
tion, ventilation,  toilet  facilities,  child  labor  laws,  light,  cleanliness,  etc., 
which  govern  the  factory,  shall  be  applied  as  well  to  the  premises  where 
the  factory  product  is  being  worked  upon.  It  may  also  be  demanded  that 
no  article  intended  for  sale  shall  be  made  in  the  home  under  less  advan- 
tageous conditions  than  in  the  factory  where  it  is  protected  and  controlled 
by  law.  ...  If  there  is  violation  of  the  child  labor  law,  ...  he  [the 
manufacturer]  cannot  be  prosecuted  for  the  same.  Further,  Chapter  758, 
Acts  of  1913,  provides  that:  *  If  any  child  or  woman  shall  be  employed  in 
more  than  one  such  place,  the  total  number  of  hours  of  such  employment 
shall  not  exceed  fifty-four  hours  in  one  week.'  It  is  a  common  practice  in 
some  industries  for  girls  to  take  home  from  the  factory  where  they  are 
employed  work  to  be  done  at  night  after  the  day's  task  is  ended.  Thus 
they  continue  the  employment  of  the  day  with  no  relaxation  such  as  might 
come  from  a  change  of  work.  This  is  but  another  evidence  of  the  different 
standards  applied  by  the  labor  laws  to  work  done  in  a  factory  and  the 
manufacture  of  the  same  product  in  the  home." 


INTRODUCTORY  5 

SCOPE  AJTO  METHOD  OF  THE  INQTJIBY. 

The  field  of  inquiry  embraced  factory  and  workshop  industries 
throughout  the  State.  But,  from  a  preliminary  survey  of  the  field  before 
the  actual  collection  of  specific  data  was  begun,  it  became  evident  that 
home  work  was  being  carried  on  in  such  a  large  number  of  industries  and 
was  so  widely  distributed  throughout  the  Commonwealth  that  the  real  ex- 
tent of  the  system  could  only  be  determined  by  a  complete  census  of  factory 
and  workshop  establishments  and  of  the  general  population,  which  was 
not,  of  course,  feasible.  Consequently,  as  intensive  a  study  as  possible 
was  made  of  all  those  industries  in  which  it  was  evident  that  a  great 
amount  of  home  work  was  being  done.  These  were:  Wearing  Apparel, 
Jewelry  and  Silverware,  Paper  Goods,  Sporting  Goods,  and  Celluloid 
Goods.  Inquiry  was  also  made  into  a  number  of  less  important  industries 
which  employed  a  smaller  number  of  home  workers.  In  this  way  a  fairly 
comprehensive  survey  was  obtained  of  the  situation  in  regard  to  home 
work  in  Massachusetts. 

From  the  manufacturers  and  contractors  were  returned  data  as  to  pay, 
number,  and  names  and  addresses  of  home  workers,  methods  of  giving  out 
work,  and  seasons ;  from  the  home  workers,  data  as  to  nativity,  sex,  age, 
marital  condition,  kinds  of  work,  pay,  training,  experience,  other  occupa- 
tions and  school  attendance,  time  idle,  income,  rent,  living  and  working 
conditions,  and  the  number  of  dependents.  For  the  most  part  this  informa- 
tion was  very  courteously  given  by  both  manufacturers  and  home  workers.1 
Circular  letters  and  schedules  of  inquiry  were  mailed  to  707  manufac- 
turers from  whom  607  replies  were  received;  41  schedules  were  mailed 
to  contractors,  and  14  replies  were  received;  and  15  letters  of  inquiry 
were  sent  to  local  unions  of  cigarmakers,  all  of  which  sent  replies.  In 
all  but  10  cases  where  home  work  was  reported  given  out  by  manufacturers 
in  the  five  principal  industries,  personal  visits  were  made  by  agents. 
There  were,  however,  in  several  minor  industries,  a  number  of  manufac- 
turers reporting  home  work  whom  it  was  impossible  to  visit  with  the  field 
force  available.  The  methods  by  which  information  was  secured  are  indi- 
cated in  the  following  table: 

1  Usually  any  initial  reluctance  on  the  part  of  the  former  to  show  pay-rolls  ended  in  the  fullest  co-operation. 
In  one  case,  this  extended  to  turning  over  material  from  a  study  of  living  conditions  and  school  attendance  in 
one  town  made  for  an  employer  by  a  paid  investigator.  There  were  only  four  instances  in  which  employers  of 
home  workers  absolutely  refused  to  furnish  data  as  to  pay-rolls  and  names  and  addresses  of  home  workers.  This 
information  waa  sought  prior  to  the  passage  of  chapter  330  of  the  Acts  of  1913  providing  that:  "  Every  employer 
of  women  and  minors  shall  keep  a  register  of  the  names,  addresses,  and  occupations  of  all  women  and  minors  em- 
ployed by  him  and  shall,  on  request  of  the  .  .  .  director  of  the  bureau  of  statistics,  permit  the  .  .  .  director  of 
the  bureau  of  statistics,  or  any  duly  accredited  agent  of  said  bureau,  to  inspect  the  said  register  and  to  examine 
such  parts  of  the  books  and  records  of  employers  as  relate  to  the  wages  paid  to  women  and  minors." 


HOME   WORK   IN   MASSACHUSETTS 


TABLE  2.  —  Methods  by  which  Information  as  to  Home  Work  was  Secured. 


NUMBER  OF  ESTABLISHMENTS  FROM 

Number 

WHICH  INFORMATION  WAS  SECURED 

of  Establish- 

INDUSTRIES. 

ments 

By  Personal 
Interview 

By  Mail 
Inquiry  only 

Totals 

Giving  Out 
Home  Work 

All  Industries. 

675 

156 

831 

284 

Wearing  apparel,          

361 

73 

434 

154 

Paper  goods  

46 

— 

46 

7 

Jewelry  and  silverware,       

197 

55 

252 

70 

Sporting  goods,    
Celluloid  goods  

9 
20 

8 
20 

17 
40 

8 
15 

Other  industries,          

42 

42 

30 

The  relation  of  the  number  of  establishments  from  which  information 
was  secured  to  the  whole  number  in  the  State  was  different  in  the  case 
of  each  of  the  five  industries.  Reports  were  secured  from  every  jewelry 
and  silverware  manufacturer  listed  in  the  Directory  of  Manufactures  of 
the  Bureau  of  Statistics.  The  same  is  true  with  regard  to  Sporting  Goods, 
with  one  exception,  and  of  Celluloid  Goods,  with  four  exceptions.  In 
Paper  Goods  no  report  was  obtained  from  89  of  the  paper  box  concerns 
on  the  Bureau's  lists.  Wearing  apparel  manufacturers  are  classified  under 
various  headings  by  the  Bureau  1  and  about  two-thirds  of  all  these  were 
heard  from  with  the  exception  of  manufacturers  of  hats  and  shoes,  in 
which  cases  the  proportion  was  much  smaller. 

In  order  to  obtain  reliable  information  as  to  the  extent  of  the  employ- 
ment and  earnings,  a  study  was  made  of  the  pay-rolls  for  an  entire  year 
in  all  the  establishments  —  a  process  involving  a  considerable  amount  of 
work.  It  should  be  pointed  out  here  that  the  word  "  year  "  as  used  in 
the  report  means  the  year  preceding  the  date  of  the  interview  or  the  date 
on  which  pay-rolls  were  obtained  from  the  manufacturers.  An  examina- 
tion of  the  pay-rolls  for  a  year  disclosed  the  fact  that  only  a  small  pro- 
portion of  the  total  number  of  home  workers  continued  to  appear  on  the 
pay-rolls  throughout  the  year.  The  data  in  regard  to  annual  earnings,  it 
should  be  observed,  must  be  used  with  caution  inasmuch  as  they  relate  to 
persons  who  have  not  worked  during  an  entire  year.  In  nearly  every  in- 
stance where  data  relative  to  annual  earnings  are  presented,  the  earnings 
of  workers  appearing  on  the  pay-rolls  for  nine  months  or  more  are  shown 
separately.  Figures  for  this  class  represent  the  earnings  of  the  steadiest 
workers  and,  therefore,  the  maximum  possible  earnings  rather  than  the 
average  normal  earnings. 

An  effort  was  made  to  visit  at  least  20  per  cent  of  the  home  workers 


This  classification  is  the  same  as  that  used  by  the  United  States  Bureau  of  the  Census. 


INTRODUCTORY 


whose  names  appeared  an  the  manufacturers'  pay-rolls.  In  many  in- 
stances considerably  more  than  20  per  cent  were  visited,  but  in  other  cases 
inaccurate  addresses  or  the  absence  of  any  addresses,  foreign  names,  and 
the  limited  field  force  available  for  overcoming  such  difficulties  made  it 
impossible  for  the  investigators  to  visit,  in  the  time  allotted  for  field  work, 
as  large  a  number  as  was  originally  planned.  It  should  be  said  here  that 
the  term  "  family,"  as  used  with  reference  to  home  workers  in  this  report, 
includes  individual  home  workers  and  groups  of  home  workers,  although, 
in  a  few  cases,  it  was  found  that  the  home  workers  included  in  such  groups 
were  neither  related  nor  living  in  the  same  dwelling  place,  but  were  simply 
engaged  in  the  same  work  and  were  represented  on  the  manufacturer's 
pay-roll  as  one  home  worker.  The  localities  and  the  number  of  manu- 
facturers, contractors,  and  home  workers  visited  by  the  investigators  and 
included  in  the  tabulations  are  shown  in  tables  3  and  4. 

TABLE  3.  —  Manufacturers,  Contractors,  and  Home  Workers  Investigated  in  Munici- 
palities of  Specified  Population. 


MUNICIPALITIES  CLASSIFIED 
BY  POPULATION. 

Num- 
ber of 
Manu- 
factur- 
ers 

Num- 
ber of 
Con- 
tract- 
ors 

Num- 
ber of 
Home 
Workers 

MUNICIPALITIES  CLASSIFIED 
BY  POPULATION. 

Num- 
ber of 
Manu- 
factur- 
ers 

Num- 
ber of 
Con- 
tract- 
ors 

Num- 
ber of 
Home 
Workers 

All  Municipalities. 

675 

53 

2,409 

MELROSE, 

_ 

_ 

25 

200,000  and  over. 
BOSTON, 

375 
375 

13 

11 

543 

543 

NEWBURYPORT,    . 
NORTHAMPTON,     . 
Westfield,      . 

9 
6 
8 

- 

6 
105 
17 

Providence,  R.  I., 

~ 

2 

" 

WOBURN, 

1 

37 

100,000  and  less  than  200,000. 
CAMBRIDGE, 
WOBCESTEB. 

16 

2 
14 

2 

2 

158 
48 
110 

6,000  and  less  than  12,000 

Arlington, 
Dedham, 

49 
1 

5 

134 

2 

50,000  and  less  than  100,000 

45 

1 

192 

Easthampton, 

2 

1    * 

- 

BROCKTON,    . 

_ 

1 

_ 

Natipk 

HOLTOKE,       . 

LYNN  

SOMERVILLE, 
SPRINGFIELD, 

10 
5 
3 
27 

- 

40 
48 
104 

North  Attleborough, 
Norwood, 
Saugus, 
Stoneham,     . 

32 
2 

2 

1 

1 

48 

4 
22 

20,000  and  less  than  50,000 
BROOKLINE, 

25 

7 
1 

179 

Wakefield,     . 
West  Springfield,  . 

10 
1 

41 

14 

CHELSEA, 

_ 

— 

5 

CHXCOPEE, 
EVERETT, 
HAVERHILL, 
MALDEN, 
MEDFORD, 
NEWTON, 

5 

12 

4 
1 

2 
1 

5 
15 
90 
47 
14 

Less  than  6,000  ' 
Ashland, 
East  Longmeadow, 
Falmouth,     . 
Foxborough, 
Hopkinton,   . 
Needham,     . 

22 

1 

11 

8 
1 

1 

135 

2 
8 
11 

26 

QUINCY, 

— 

1 

~ 

North  Brookfield, 

2 

_ 

10 

SALEM,  . 
TAUNTON, 

1 

1 

1 

3 

Norton, 
Pelham, 

2 
1 

2 

56 

12,000  and  less  than  20,000 
Attleborough 
Fratningham 
Leominster, 

143 

96 
2 
22 

17 

13 

2 

1,068 

130 
595 
153 

Plainville,      . 
Reading, 
Sandwich,      . 
South  Hadley,      . 

3 

1 
1 

3 

7 
4 
11 

1  Sixteen  home  workers  were  interviewed  at  Seabrook,  N.  II.,  and  20  at  Providence,  R.  I.,  none  of 
included  in  the  tabulation  of  this  report. 


rhom  are 


8 


HOME   WORK   IN   MASSACHUSETTS 


TABLE  4.  —  Distribution  of  Home  Workers  in  Municipalities  of  Specified  Population: 

By  Industries. 


NUMBER   OF  HOME  WORKERS   INTERVIEWED  LIVING  IN  MUNICI- 

Number 

PALITIES  HAVING  POPULATION  OP  — 

INDUSTRIES. 

Workers 
Inter- 
viewed 

Less 
than 

6,000 
and  less 
than 

12,000 
and  lees 
than 

20,000 
and  less 
than 

50,000 
and  less 
than 

100,000 
and  less 
than 

200,000 
and 

12,000 

20,000 

50,000 

100,000 

200,000 

over 

All  Industries. 

2,409 

135 

134 

1,068 

179 

192 

158 

543 

Wearing  apparel, 

796 

51 

19 

100 

170 

100 

123 

233 

Paper  goods, 
Jewelry  and  silverware, 

912 
273 

19 
63 

48 

607 
128 

7 

34 

279 

Sporting  goods,  . 
Celluloid  goods. 

173 
96 

2 

65 

15 

96 

1 

84 

6 

Other  industries, 

159 

m 

2 

122 

1 

8 

1 

25 

This  investigation  was  made  under  the  general  authority  of  the  statute 
prescribing  the  duties  of  the  Bureau  of  Statistics.1  The  desirability  of 
undertaking  such  an  inquiry  became  apparent  during  a  study,  by  the 
Department  of  Research  of  the  Women's  Educational  and  Industrial 
Union  about  three  years  ago,  of  the  manufacture  of  underwear  in  Boston 
which  brought  out  the  fact  that  several  firms  in  this  industry  were  giving 
out  large  quantities  of  home  work,  and  the  conviction  grew  that  this  kind 
of  work  was  widespread  and  rapidly  increasing.  Hearings  before  the  New 
York  State  Factory  Investigating  Commission  had,  moreover,  brought  out 
a  large  amount  of  evidence  as  to  the  evils  of  home  work  in  New  York  City 
and  it  was  deemed  to  be  a  matter  of  public  interest  to  determine  to  what 
degree  the  situation  in  this  State  resembled  that  in  New  York.  It  was 
not  possible,  however,  for  a  private  agency  to  prosecute,  satisfactorily, 
an  inquiry  covering  such  an  extensive  field.  The  Director  of  the  Bureau  of 
Statistics  accordingly  decided  to  take  up  the  matter,  an  arrangement  being 
made  whereby  the  Bureau  secured  as  field  agents  for  nine  months  without 
cost  to  the  Commonwealth  the  services  of  three  research  fellows  (Mrs. 
Margaret  Hutton  Abels,  Miss  Margaret  S.  Dismorr,  and  Miss  Caroline 
E.  Wilson)  of  the  Union,2  with  Dr.  Amy  Hewes,  professor  of  economics 
at  Mt.  Holyoke  College  and  Secretary  of  the  Massachusetts  Minimum 
Wage  Commission,  in  immediate  charge  of  the  inquiry,  the  scope  and 
general  organization  of  which  was  entrusted  to  her.  Miss  Alzada  P. 
Comstock  was  specially  employed  to  assist  in  the  preparation  of  the 

»  Acts,  1909,  c.  371. 

1  The  Women's  Educational  and  Industrial  Union  offers  three  Fellowships  at  $500  a  year,  with  travelling,  equip- 
ment and  other  expenses  involved,  to  approved  college  or  university  graduates  who  are  desirous  of  preparing  for 
social  and  economic  work.  The  work  conducted  by  the  Department  of  Research  may  be  accepted  as  partial 
fulfillment  for  an  advanced  degree  at  RadclifTe,  Wellesley,  Simmons,  Tufts  and  Massachusetts  Institute  of 
Technology,  which  also,  with  the  exception  of  RadclifTe,  offer  free  tuition  to  the  students  holding  one  of  the 
Fellowships. 


INTRODUCTORY  9 

analysis  and  the  tables  and  in  making  digests  and  translations  of  the 
reports  of  analogous  investigations  in  foreign  countries.  The  field  work 
was  further  supervised  by  Mr.  Frank  S.  Drown,  Chief  Statistician  of 
the  Labor  Division  of  the  Bureau  of  Statistics,  who,  with  the  assistance 
of  Miss  Annie  L.  Flynn,  prepared  the  tables. 

An  aggregate  of  about  80  weeks'  work  was  spent  in  the  field  and  in 
work  upon  the  schedules  (exclusive  of  the  preparation  of  the  report)  by 
the  three  research  fellows  of  the  Women's  Educational  and  Industrial 
Union,  and  additional  assistance  in  field  work,  amounting  to  about  14 
weeks,  was  rendered  by  other  workers  who  were  furnished  by  the  Union 
and  the  North  Bennett  Street  Industrial  School,  and  by  one  of  the  regular 
special  agents  of  this  Bureau.  The  distribution  of  the  total  field  work 
among  the  several  industries  was  approximately  as  follows: 

Wearing  apparel,         .  .52      weeks'  work 

Jewelry,        .  15      weeks'  work 

Paper  goods,        .  8V2  weeks'  work 

Sporting  goods, 6      weeks'  work 

Celluloid  goods, 2^  weeks'  work 

Suspenders,  garters,  and  elastic  woven  goods,  ....  2  weeks'  work 
Other  industries, .  .8  weeks'  work 


Total,     .  94      weeks'  work 

The  text  of  the  report  is  supplemented  by  four  appendices:  (A). 
Special  reports  on  home  work  made  by  other  governmental  or  private 
agencies;  (B).  Extracts  from  reports  of  inspectors  of  home  work;  (C). 
A  select  bibliography;  and  (D).  Specimen  schedules  used  in  the  inquiry. 
The  bibliography,  involving  a  considerable  amount  of  research  and 
familiarity  with  foreign  languages,  was  prepared  by  Miss  Etta  F.  Phil- 
brook,  librarian  and  translator  of  the  Bureau  of  Statistics,  and  will  be 
found,  it  is  hoped,  of  practical  value  to  those  interested  in  the  subject. 


CHAPTER   I 
THE   PROBLEM   OF  HOME   WORK 

BY  AMY  HEWES 

1.  EXTENT  OF  HOME  WORK  IN  INDUSTRY. 

The  reorganization  of  industry,  consequent  upon  the  introduction  of 
the  factory  system,  has  not  resulted  in  freeing  the  home  from  manufac- 
ture. It  is  true  that  practically  all  articles  formerly  produced  there  are 
now  factory  made,  but  many  of  them  are  sent  hack  into  dwelling  houses 
and  tenements  for  one  or  more  processes  in  the  course  of  their  production. 

This  fact  has  been  a  matter  of  public  attention  in  connection  with  the 
manufacture  of  clothing  where  home  work  has  been  subjected  to  some 
slight  regulation,  chiefly  in  the  interest  of  the  consumer,  but  hitherto 
we  have  been  very  generally  unaware  of  the  number  of  home-made  goods 
in  common  use,  or  of  the  number  of  homes  or  of  workers  involved.  Not 
only  are  goods  sent  out  from  the  factories  for  hand-work,  but,  in  some 
cases  power-machines  have  been  installed  in  the  homes  for  use  upon  fac- 
tory products.  There  is  little  exact  information  as  to  the  extent  to  which 
the  home  has  thus  become  a  part  of  our  present  industrial  organization 
and  no  State  has,  up  to  this  time,  made  any  attempt  to  find  out  how  much 
of  its  manufacture  is  done  by  home  work.1  Even  the  United  States 
Bureau  of  the  Census  has  never  made  any  study  of  outside  work. 

Home  work,  as  the  term  is  used  in  this  report,  is  the  manufacture  or 
preparation  within  the  home  of  goods  intended  for  sale,  in  which  the  work 
supplements  the  factory  process.2  The  statutory  equivalent  of  "  home " 
in  connection  with  such  manufacture,  "  any  room  or  apartment  in  a 
tenement  or  dwelling  house,"  is  given  in  the  sections  of  the  laws  of  Massa- 
chusetts which  are  concerned  with  the  conditions  and  licensing  of  the 
manufacture  of  clothing.8 

1  In  October  and  November,  1912,  the  New  York  State  Factory  Investigating  Commission  made  an  inquiry 
into  the  matter  of  home  work.  This  study  covered  193  factories,  of  which  number  147  were  found  to  employ 
home  workers.  These  147  factories  employed  3,113  home  workers,  of  which  number  data  were  obtained  for  442. 
The  report  states  that  the  results  obtained  from  the  few  industries  and  factories  studied  indicate  the  extent  of 
the  problem  and  the  immense  number  of  workers  it  includes,  it  being  estimated  on  the  basis  of  the  factories  in- 
vestigated that  there  were  51,500  outworkers  in  the  hand-embroidery  trade  alone  and  that  the  total  number  of 
home  workers  in  New  York  City  must  run  into  the  hundred  thousands. 

*  Macaroni,  candy,  and  other  food-stuffs  which  are  manufactured  in  tenements  or  dwelling  houses  and  sold 
directly  to  the  consumer  in  small  retail  shops  on  the  premises  were  excluded  from  the  study,  on  the  ground  that  the 
proprietors  of  such  shops  are,  strictly  speaking,  independent  producers.  Cigars,  made  by  independent  manu- 
facturers under  similar  conditions,  but  under  the  supervision  of  the  Cigar  Makers  Union,  were  also  excluded. 
See  page  29,  post.  Laundry  work  done  for  private  families  or  others  was  not  included  in  this  inquiry. 

»  Acts,  1909,  c.  514,  §§  106-111. 


12  HOME   WORK   IN   MASSACHUSETTS 

It  was  evident  from  the  beginning  of  the  study  that  the  practice  of 
giving  out  home  work  was  carried  011  in  connection  with  a  greater  variety 
of  articles  than  the  public  is  probably  aware  of.  Home  work  on  clothing, 
artificial  flowers,  and  feathers  has  been  a  matter  of  common  knowledge 
to  students  of  industrial  problems  for  many  years ;  but  it  is  not  generally 
realized  that  not  only  almost  every  variety  of  wearing  apparel,  including 
hosiery,  hats,  and  shoes,  are  material  for  the  home  worker,  but  that 
jewelry,  silk,  tennis  balls,  paper  goods,  tooth  brushes,  and  many  other 
articles  of  as  varying  character  and  uses,  are  daily  given  out  to  home 
workers  from  industrial  establishments  in  all  parts  of  the  State.  In  fact, 
a  very  large  number  of  articles  in  daily  personal  use  have  passed  through 
the  hands  of  the  home  workers.  The  following  list  of  the  industries 
which  were  found  to  be  partly  carried  on  in  the  home,  with  the  articles 
and  materials  upon  which  home  work  is  done,  shows  the  classification  used 
in  this  report: 

WEARING  APPAREL: 
Clothing: 

Men's  coats,  pants,  and  blouses. 
Men's  shirts  and  pajamas. 
Women's  and  children's  machine-made  clothing: 

House  dresses,  aprons,  rompers,  and  sleeping  suits. 
Women's  and  children's  clothing  (hand-work) : 
Waists,  nightgowns,  corset  covers,  combination   suits,  children's   dresses, 

skirts,  and  wrappers. 
Neckwear,  Dress  Trimmings,  etc. : 

Bows,    flowers,    jabots,    four-in-hand    neckties,    plain    and    fancy    buttons, 

regalia,  and  dress  fringe. 
Shoes  and  Shoe  Trimmings: 

High   and  low  shoes,  satin   slippers,  beaded  slippers,  hand-crocheted   and 
machine-knit  worsted  shoes,  pump  bows,  buckles  and  rosettes  for  slip- 
pers, baby  shoes,  bootees,  and  moccasins. 
Hosiery  and  Machine-knit  Goods: 

Automobile  coats,  sweaters,  skating  caps,  children's  caps  and  bonnets,  in- 
fants' leggings,  bands,  and  jackets,  women's  and  children's  shirts  and 
union  suits,  mittens,  corsage  sachets,  women's  silk  hose  and  men's  half 
hose. 

Suspenders,  Garters,  and  Elastic  Woven  Goods. 
Other  Wearing  Apparel: 

Hand-knit  automobile  hoods,  caps,  mufflers,   and  baby  jackets;   straw  hat 

braid;  kid  and  canvas  gloves. 
JEWELRY  AND  SILVERWARE: 

Mesh  bags,  chains,  enameled  pins  and  brooches,  charms,  fobs,  display  bows 
and  rolls,  and  miscellaneous  articles. 


THE   PROBLEM   OF  HOME   WORK  13 

PAPER  GOODS  : 

Tags,  frills,  skewers,  boxes,  flags,  post  cards,  candle  and  electric  light  shades, 
paper  plates,  jewelry  mats,  jewelry  display  cards,  paper  napkins,  paper 
doll  outfits,  inserts  for  sample  books,  flowers,  rosettes,   national  fans, 
caps,  bells,  favors,  and  sealing  wax. 
CELLULOID  GOODS: 

Fans,  chains,  bandeaux,  woven  baskets,  napkin  rings,  boxes,  cards  for  hair- 
pins, nests  for  hair-pins,  and  miscellaneous  articles. 
SPORTING  GOODS: 

Base  balls,  fishing  rods,  tennis  balls,  squash  balls,  and  running  pants. 
OTHER  INDUSTRIES  : 

Brushes  (including  tooth  brushes). 
Silk  Goods: 

Darning  silk,  raw  silk  waste,  dyed  spun  silk,  silk  culture  cabinets,  and  em- 
broidery silk. 
Miscellaneous : 
Whips. 

Curtains,  bed-spreads,  and  dresser  covers. 
Toys  and  games. 
Human  hair. 
Art  goods,  medallions,  centerpieces,  doilies,  towels,  table  linen,  bed  linen,  and 

handkerchiefs. 
Coat  hangers. 
Laundry  tags. 
Deodorizers. 
Circulars  and  envelopes. 

The  first  five  industries  in  the  list  —  Wearing  Apparel,  Jewelry  and 
Silverware,  Paper  Goods,  Celluloid  Goods,  and  Sporting  Goods  —  were 
selected  for  special  study  because  they  employ  the  great  majority  of  home 
workers  in  Massachusetts.  A  certain  amount  of  information  regarding 
home  work  on  the  remaining  articles  was  also  collected,  and  appears  under 
"  Other  Industries  "  in  the  tahles  and  text  analysis. 

Some  measure  of  the  importance  of  home  work  in  the  various  indus- 
tries is  afforded  hy  a  comparison  of  the  numbers  employed  in  the  factory 
with  those  at  home  and  of  the  amounts  annually  paid  in  wages  to  each. 
Many  difficulties,  however,  stand  in  the  way  of  forming  a  reliable  estimate 
of  the  number  of  home  workers  even  in  connection  with  a  single  estab- 
lishment. Pay-roll  designations  indicate  only  the  person  in  whose  name 
the  work  is  taken  out,  and  the  number  among  whom  it  is  distributed  at 
home  is  unknown  at  the  factory;  or  a  single  person  may  work  for  a  num- 
ber of  contractors  and  his  name  may  consequently  appear  on  several 
pay-rolls.  A  large  number  of  employers  keep  no  permanent  record  of 
home  workers.  Others  keep  names  on  their  lists  long  after  the  persons 
have  ceased  taking  work.  Few  manufacturers  claimed  to  be  able  to  state 
accurately  the  number  employed.  On  the  other  hand,  it  must  be  borne 


14 


HOME   WORK   IN   MASSACHUSETTS 


in  mind  that  home  workers  seldom  devote  as  much  time  to  their  parts  of 
the  processes  as  do  the  factory  workers  to  theirs,  so  that  while  our  esti- 
mates l  show  that  the  home  workers  composed  57.8  per  cent  of  the  total 
number  of  persons  employed  by  the  134  manufacturers  at  the  time  inter- 
viewed, the  actual  amount  of  labor  expended  by  these  home  workers  was 
undoubtedly  but  a  small  fraction  of  the  total  labor  expended  by  all  the 
inside  and  outside  workers.  The  limited  time  available  for  field  work 
in  this  study  did  not  permit  any  investigation  of  the  actual  number  of 

TABLE  5.  —  Relation  of  Home  Work  to  Factory  Work  in  134 


INDUSTRIES  . 

Number  of 
Estab- 
lishments 

Number  of 
Workers 
Employed 

Total 
Labor  Cost 

1 

2 

All  Industries. 

Wearing  Apparel. 

134 

67 

34,702 
11,137 

$8,332,341 
S.6S9.478 

3 

Clothing,  men's  —  coats  and  pants  

8 

240 

91,384 

4 

Clothing,  men's  —  shirts  and  pajamas,    

4 

1,526 

567,342 

5 

Clothing,  women's  and  children's  —  machine-made, 

2 

128 

5,480 

6 

Clothing,  women's  and  children's  —  hand-work,     .... 

2 

974 

122,241 

7 

Neckwear,  dress-trimmings,  and  buttons,        

9 

644 

184,545 

8 

Shoes  and  shoe  trimmings,  *      

9 

3,273 

1,244,433 

9 

Hosiery  and  machine-knit  goods  

14 

3,409 

988,945 

10 

Suspenders,  garters,  and  elastic  woven  goods  

6 

692 

192,490 

11 

Other  wearing  apparel,      ....                         . 

3 

251 

142,618 

12 

Jewelry  and  Silverware.9 

41 

12,948 

2,205fi90 

13 

Mesh  bags  

10 

9,838 

662,791 

14 

Chains,       

18 

1,659 

923,362 

15 

Painting  on  enamel,  

3 

224 

129,597 

16 

10 

1,227 

490,140 

17 

Paper  Goods. 

S 

5,657 

1,154,998 

18 

Celluloid  Goods. 

IS 

1,201 

431,183 

19 

Sporting  Goods. 

s 

1,015 

93,171 

20 

Other  Industries. 

17 

3J44 

9S7,6£1 

1  The  number  of  home  workers  in  each  industry  was  estimated  on  the  basis  of  the  findings  of  the  investigators. 
As  is  noted  in  the  text,  single  names  on  the  manufacturers'  pay-rolls  often  represent  groups  of  workers.  In  esti- 
mating the  total  number  of  home  workers  for  the  134  establishments,  the  ratio  of  the  number  of  names  selected 
from  the  pay-rolls  to  the  number  of  workers  discovered  actually  at  work  was  determined,  and  the  assumption  made 
that  the  total  number  of  names  on  the  pay-rolls  represents  a  larger  group  of  workers  in  the  same  proportion  as  the 
names  of  the  workers  who  were  actually  visited  in  the  course  of  the  investigation  represent  a  larger  number  of 
workers.  Thus  "X",  representing  the  estimated  number  of  home  workers,  the  formula  used  was:  X:  total 
number  of  workers  on  pay-roll  ::  number  of  workers  discovered  actually  at  work  :  number  of  interviews.  Thus, 
if  a  manufacturer  had  50  home  workers  on  bis  pay-roll  at  the  time  of  interview  by  the  agent  of  this  Bureau  and  it 
was  found  upon  personal  interviews  with  20  of  these  home  workers  that  there  were  actually  40  persons  working  on 
the  processes,  it  was  estimated  that  the  30  home  workers  on  the  pay-rolls  who  were  not  interviewed  represented 


THE    PROBLEM   OF   HOME   WORK 


15 


hours  spent  on  the  processes  by  home  workers.  As  practically  none  of  the 
home  workers  kept  records  of  actual  time  spent  on  home  work,  it  would 
have  obviously  involved  considerable  effort  to  have  induced  them  to  keep 
such  records  for  use  in  the  present  study. 

For  these  reasons,  Table  5  gives  only  a  qualified  estimate  —  and  it 
should  be  read  with  this  understanding  —  of  the  proportion  of  home  work- 
ers to  factory  workers,  placing  the  number  of  the  former  at  20,075  for  the 
134  establishments. 


Establishments  in  Massachusetts  Employing  Home  Workers. 


Factory  — 

Home  — 

WORKERS 

WAGES 

WORKERS 

WAGES 

Number 

Percentages 
of  all 
Workers 

Amount 
paid 
Annually 

Percentages 
of  Total 
Labor  Coat 

Estimated 
Number* 

Percentages 
of  all 
Workers 

Amount 
paid 
Annually 

Percentages 
of  Total 
Labor  Cost 

14,627 

42.2 

$7,666,921 

92.0 

20,075 

57.8 

$665,420 

8.0 

1 

6J02 

57.5 

8,186,187 

90.0 

4,735 

42.6 

36S&91 

10.0 

2 

155 

64.6 

82,557 

90.3 

85 

35.4 

8,827 

9.7 

3 

1,414 

92.7 

555,918 

98.0 

112 

7.3 

11,424 

2.0 

4 

- 

- 

- 

- 

128 

100.0 

5,480 

100.0 

5 

211 

21.7 

77,542 

63.4 

763 

78.3 

44,699 

36.6 

6 

432 

67.1 

167,828 

90.9 

212 

32.9 

16,717 

9.1 

7 

1,668 

51.0 

1,063,436 

85.5 

1,605 

49.0 

180,997 

14.5 

8 

1,835 

53.8 

915,585 

92.6 

1,574 

46.2 

73,360 

7.4 

9 

469 

67.8 

186,404 

96.8 

223 

32.2 

6,086 

3.2 

10 

218 

86.9 

136,917 

96.0 

33 

13.1 

5,701 

4.0 

11 

S#46 

25.1 

2,015,034 

91.3 

9,702 

74  .9 

190,866 

8.7 

12 

813 

8.3 

516,512 

77.9 

9,025 

91.7 

146,279 

22.1 

13 

1,344 

81.0 

896,872 

97.1 

315 

19.0 

26,490 

2.9 

14 

199 

88.8 

128,784 

99.4 

25 

11.2 

813 

0.6 

15 

890 

72.5 

472,866 

96.5 

337 

27.5 

17,274 

3.5 

16 

1,882 

S3.  9 

1,076,641 

94  .9 

3,675 

66.1 

68,357 

5.1 

17 

979 

81.5 

424,592 

98.6 

222 

18.5 

6,691 

1.5 

18 

121 

11.9 

65,148 

69.9 

894 

88.1 

28,023 

30.1 

19 

1,997 

70.2 

899,319 

96.9 

847 

29.8 

2S,SC-2 

3.1 

20 

the  same  proportion  of  actual  home  workers  as  the  20  who  were  interviewed,  and  that  the  manufacturer  instead 
of  employing  50  home  workers,  as  shown  by  his  pay-rolls,  actually  had  working  for  him  100  home  workers. 

The  amount  paid  in  wages  to  home  workers  is  the  sum  of  the  home-work  pay-roll  entries  for  the  year.  Since 
the  number  of  workers  is  shifting  and  many  workers  have  employment  for  only  a  few  weeks  or  months,  the  num- 
ber of  persons  whose  names  appear  on  the  pay-rolls  in  the  course  of  a  year  must  obviously  be  much  larger  than 
the  number  found  at  any  given  time,  or  at  the  time  of  the  investigator's  visit.  Consequently,  the  sum  shown  as 
the  amount  paid  in  wages  is  presumably  distributed  among  a  much  larger  number  of  workers  than  the  table  in- 
dicates. 

2  A  number  of  the  home  workers  for  three  boot  and  shoe  manufacturers  live  in  New  Hampshire. 

8  Numbers  of  home  workers  given  for  Jewelry  and  Silverware  are  total  numbers  on  pay-rolls  for  the  year  and 
manufacturers'  estimates  for  busy  season  and  include  home  workers  living  in  Rhode  Island  and  Connecticut. 


16  HOME   WORK   IN   MASSACHUSETTS 

The  table  affords  a  comparison  between  the  relative  numbers  of  home 
workers  and  factory  workers,  and  the  relative  amounts  paid  in  wages  to 
each.  In  all,  the  factory  workers  thus  appear  to  constitute  42.2  per  cent 
of  the  total  number  of  workers  employed  and  receive  92.0  per  cent  of  the 
total  amount  paid  in  wages.  The  difference  in  proportion  is  particularly 
conspicuous  in  Jewelry,  Paper  Goods,  and  Celluloid  Goods.  In  the  cellu- 
loid goods  factories  which  gave  out  home  work,  the  inside  workers  re- 
ceived all  but  1.5  per  cent  of  the  wages,  and  the  two  manufacturers  of 
women's  and  children's  machine-made  clothing  who  gave  out  home  work 
did  not  employ  any  inside  workers.  The  table  indicates,  in  condensed 
form,  two  of  the  significant  findings  of  the  investigation,  —  the  large 
number  of  home  workers  employed  and  the  extremely  small  earnings  of 
these  outside  workers.  The  disproportion  is,  of  course,  explained  by  the 
fact  that  employment  in  home  work  is  occasional  and  irregular.  Accord- 
ingly, we  find  a  large  number  of  home  workers  employed  for  part  time 
instead  of  a  normal  number  for  full  time,  as  in  factory  work. 

Although  this  study  was  confined  to  Massachusetts,  it  became  apparent 
that  state  boundaries  do  not  always  determine  the  field  from  which  the 
supply  of  home  workers  is  drawn.  For  example,  agents  of  Massachusetts 
jewelry  manufacturers  employ  home  workers  in  considerable  numbers  in 
Khode  Island  and  Connecticut  as  well  as  in  Massachusetts,  and  concerns 
of  various  kinds  from  all  over  the  United  States  constantly  advertise  for 
home  workers  in  the  Boston  newspapers.  A  large  number  of  these  offer 
work  upon  a  basis  different  from  that  of  the  work  with  which  this  report 
deals.  Their  usual  plan  requires  that  the  home  worker  become  also  sales 
agent  for  the  finished  product.  Materials  are  to  be  sent  by  mail  for  the 
home  operation  after  a  deposit  of  money  has  been  made.  Large  earnings 
are  promised.  The  terms  are  not  such  as  to  inspire  confidence  in  the 
sophisticated  reader,  but  the  amount  of  advertising  would  indicate  that 
they  are  probably  accepted  by  many  persons.1 

2.  LOCATION  OF  HOME-WORK  INDUSTRIES. 
Contrary  to  the  popular  impression,  home  work  is  not  confined  to  the 
great  cities  and  their  congested  tenement  districts.  Less  than  one-fourth 
of  the  workers  included  in  the  investigation  live  in  Boston,  —  the  only 
city  in  Massachusetts  with  more  than  150,000  inhabitants,  —  and  less 
than  15  per  cent  live  in  the  seven  cities  with  populations  of  between  50,000 
and  200,000,  while  nearly  one-half  of  the  workers  live  in  places  of  between 

1  At  a  public  hearing  in  New  York  City  before  the  New  York  State  Factory  Investigating  Commission,  in 
July.  1914.  Miss  Elizabeth  Watson,  who  was  in  charge  of  the  commission's  inquiry  into  the  matter  of  home  work, 
exhibited  a  New  York  City  newspaper  of  May  15, 1914,  wherein  185  firms  advertised  for  home  workers,  17  of  whom 
advertised  for  workers  on  articles  prohibited  by  the  statute  passed  in  1913. 


THE   PKOBLEM   OF  HOME   WORK  17 

6,000  and  20,000  inhabitants.  The  scarcity  of  home  workers  in  the 
rural  districts  is  even  more  marked;  135,  or  a  little  more  than  one- 
twentieth  of  the  whole  number,  live  in  places  of  less  than  6,000.  The 
conclusion  seems  justified  that  home  work  is  not  a  problem  of  the  small 
city  or  of  the  large  city  in  itself,  but  of  any  place  in  which  industrial 
establishments,  with  a  product  upon  which  outside  work  can  be  done, 
have  gained  a  foothold. 

Home  workers  do  not  always  live  in  the  town  where  the  factory  giving 
out  the  work  is  located.  Where  workers  are  employed  in  surrounding  or 
distant  towns,  a  distributing  center  is  usually  established  or  the  work  is 
delivered  by  an  agent. 

3.    THE  LEVEL  OF  WAGES. 

The  really  striking  feature  of  home  work  for  the  manufacturers  and 
home  workers  is  found  not  in  the  conditions  which  have  engaged  the  atten- 
tion of  consumers,  but  in  the  level  of  wages.  It  has  become  evident  that 
yearly  earnings  are  very  low.  The  median  for  all  workers  included  in 
this  study  is  close  to  $100.1  Eighty-eight  and  four  tenths  per  cent  of  all 
the  individual  workers  for  whom  pay-rolls  were  available  earned  less  than 
$150  in  the  12  months  preceding  the  inquiry;  while  78.5  per  cent  of  all 
the  home  workers  employed  for  nine  months  or  more  preceding  the  date 
pay-rolls  were  obtained  earned  less  than  this  amount.  But,  in  the  light 
of  their  supplementary  character,  the  low  earnings  from  home  work  must 
be  interpreted  as  affecting  the  welfare  of  the  workers  less  seriously  than 
might  be  supposed.  If  they  were  considerably  larger  —  that  is,  the  rates 
higher  and  the  work  more  regular,  —  the  workers  might  be  recruited 
more  largely  from  the  ranks  of  the  less  well-to-do,  and  wholly  different 
problems  of  adjusting  wages  and  standards  of  living  might  result. 

The  prevailing  hourly  rates  show  that  earnings  must  be  small  even 
when  work  is  steady.  Except  in  the  Jewelry  and  Celluloid  Goods  indus- 
tries, where  the  rates  are  conspicuously  higher,  a  large  majority  made  not 
more  than  eight  cents  an  hour.  The  amount  of  non-employment  is  another 
important  factor  in  accounting  for  the  small  actual  earnings.  As  the 
busy  seasons  in  the  various  industries  come  to  a  close,  work  becomes 
scarce.  About  one-half  (50.8  per  cent)  of  the  workers  had  payments 
extending  over  nine  months  or  more  of  the  year,  though  it  should  not  be 
inferred  from  this  fact  that  there  was  actual  employment  in  such  cases 
for  a  full  nine-months  period.  The  explanation  most  commonly  given 
for  the  low  pay  is  the  abundant  supply  of  labor.  But,  contrary  to  the 
prevailing  impression  that  this  supply  is  large  because  so  many  must  resort 

i  See  table  16A  on  page  41. 


18  HOME   WORK   IN   MASSACHUSETTS 

to  home  work  as  the  only  means  of  livelihood,  the  statistics  presented  in 
this  report  indicate  that  the  greater  number  of  workers  are  above  actual 
need.  Of  those  reporting  income,  56.1  per  cent  have  not  less  than  $750 
aside  from  home  work  earnings.  The  latter,  if  unsuppleinented  by  earn- 
ings outside  the  home,  would  be,  in  the  majority  of  cases,  too  low  to 
allow  the  worker  to  exist  even  in  dire  poverty. 

Only  as  a  last  resort  will  the  worker  attempt  to  live  on  such  insuffi- 
cient funds.  ]N"or  do  those  giving  out  work  expect  or  intend  that  they 
shall.  A  manufacturer  of  women's  neckwear  made  the  following  com- 
ment, in  speaking  of  his  home-work  force :  "  They  can  much  more  easily 
bear  the  ups  and  downs  caused  by  changes  in  fashion  than  if  they  were 
help  in  the  factory;  for  they  are  leisure-time  workers  and  can  do  without 
the  work.  If  a  woman  comes  and  asks  for  home  work  and  says  she  is 
dependent  on  it  for  a  living,  I  say,  '  No  use  to  me/  for  it  is  impossible  to 
live  on  the  proceeds  of  this  work."  Very  seldom  in  an  industry  of  this 
sort  do  we  find  the  woman  worker  who  is  so  frequently  mentioned  in 
studies  of  home  work  in  other  countries  —  the  solitary  woman  who  for 
years  at  a  time  has  no  source  of  income  except  home  work,  and  apparently 
no  interest  in  life  but  her  trade.  Home  work  in  Massachusetts  is  rather 
a  side-issue,  an  occupation  which  may  be  taken  up  and  dropped  at  will, 
and  which  supplements  a  regular  wage  from  a  factory  worker.  The 
report  of  the  State  Board  of  Health  comments  as  follows  upon  the  com- 
fortable status  of  the  families  of  home  workers: 

As  matters  stand  now  perhaps  more  than  half  of  the  holders  of  licenses  in  the 
State  are  fairly  comfortably  situated  and  carry  on  the  work  in  homes  where  the 
sanitary  conditions  are  beyond  reproach.1 

Another  aspect  of  the  situation  which  has  received  much  comment  is 
the  effect  of  the  large  body  of  home  workers  upon  the  wages  of  factory 
workers.  It  was  found  in  this  inquiry  that  there  was  little  or  no  competi- 
tion between  the  two  groups,  for  the  processes  performed  in  the  homes  are 
not  the  same  as  those  in  the  factory.  In  some  instances,  such  as  tag  string- 
ing, tooth  brush  drawing,  and  crocheting  edges  for  knit  underwear,  ma- 
chines for  doing  the  work  now  accomplished  by  hand  by  the  home  workers 
were  found  to  be  on  trial  at  the  factory,  and  it  is  believed  that  their  suc- 
cessful installation  will  entirely  displace  the  corresponding  home  work. 
Even  where  the  processes  performed  at  the  home  are  the  same  as  those 
in  the  factory,  it  is  probable  that  if  home  work  is  merely  seasonal  it  is 
not  injurious  to  the  factory  wage,  and  may  even  make  for  conditions  of 
steadier  employment  for  the  factory  workers.  But  in  those  cases  where 

»  Forty-third  Annual  Report  of  the  State  Board  of  Health  of  Massachusetts,  1911,  p.  582. 


THE   PROBLEM   OF  HOME   WORK  19 

home  work  is  constant,  it  seems  probable  that  the  wage  of  the  factory 
worker  sooner  or  later  feels  its  influence. 

4.    EVILS  OF  HOME  WORK. 

The  evils  of  home  work,  usually  reflected  in  excessively  long  hours, 
low  wages,  and  unsanitary  conditions  of  work,  are  unequally  emphasized 
in  the  results  of  the  present  study.  Of  these  factors  the  only  one  found 
to  an  extreme  degree  was  low  wages  which  were  due  to  the  extremely 
intermittent  character  of  the  employment  —  only  50.8  per  cent  of  the 
workers  having  payments  extending  over  nine  months  or  more  and  even 
these  did  not,  of  course,  work  continuously  during  this  period.  In  re- 
sponse to  the  inquiry,  "  How  many  hours  a  day  do  you  spend  at  home 
work  ?  "  a  common  answer  was :  "  Any  time  I  can  get  off  from  house- 
work." Frequently  this  time  amounted  to  only  two  or  three  hours,  and 
only  rarely  did  it  exceed  eight  hours. 

In  general,  the  places  of  work  were  clean  and  well  cared  for.  Since 
56.1  per  cent  of  the  families  of  home  workers  were  found  to  have  an 
income  aside  from  home  work  of  $750  a  year  or  more,  it  is  natural  that 
the  places  in  which  they  live  should  conform  to  a  fairly  decent  standard 
of  cleanliness  and  sanitation.  No  attempt  was  made  by  the  investigators 
to  go  into  the  technical  problem  of  serious  occupational  disease,  but  eye- 
strain  and  backache,  due  to  the  work,  were  frequently  found,  and  often 
the  workers  complained  of  a  general  nervousness  and  irritability,  due 
probably  to  the  monotony  and  tension  of  the  work.  No  contagious 
diseases,  aside  from  skin  diseases,  were  found  where  home  work  was  being 
done.  Appearances  would  seem  to  indicate  that  there  are  no  very  serious 
results  occurring  from  home  work  so  far  as  health  is  concerned. 

A  conspicuous  evil  associated  with  home  work  as  considered  in  the 
present  study  is  the  employment  of  young  children.  An  analysis  of  the 
age  composition  of  the  home  workers  actually  studied  shows  that  more 
than  one-fifth  of  the  number  whose  ages  were  reported  were  children  under 
the  age  of  14  years.1  Nearly  all  of  these  were  found  in  the  paper  goods 

*  Within  the  last  year  Massachusetts  has  prohibited  the  employment  of  children  under  14  years  of  age  in 
home  manufacture.  Chapter  831,  Acts  of  1913,  which  went  into  effect  September  1,  1913,  provides  that:  "No 
minor  under  14  years  of  age  shall  be  employed  or  permitted  to  work  in  or  about  or  in  connection  with  any  factory, 
workshop,  manufacturing,  mechanical  or  mercantile  establishment,  barber  shop,  bootblack  stand  or  establish- 
ment, public  stable,  garage,  brick  or  lumber  yard,  telephone  exchange,  telegraph  or  messenger  office  or  in  the 
construction  or  repair  of  buildings,  or  in  any  contract  or  wage-earning  industry  carried  on  in  tenement  or  other 
houses."  The  enactment  of  this  law  gives  to  Massachusetts  new  prominence  among  the  States  in  the  campaign 
against  child  labor.  Long  after  the  labor  of  children  had  been  abolished  in  factories  where  work  is  carried  on 
within  hours  prescribed  by  law,  and  under  standard  conditions  of  sanitation,  it  was  legal  for  children  of  any  age 
to  work  in  homes  where  conditions  may  be  extremely  poor.  Just  how  much  will  actually  be  gained  by  the 
new  law  will,  however,  depend  entirely  upon  the  adequacy  of  inspection.  At  scarcely  any  other  point  in  the 
whole  home  work  situation  are  greater  difficulties,  it  would  seem,  likely  to  arise.  It  brings  up  again  the  old 
question  of  how  to  make  inspections  sufficiently  frequent  to  be  really  effective. 


20  HOME   WORK   IN   MASSACHUSETTS 

industry  in  the  families  of  tag  stringers.  Tag  stringing  is  simple  and 
easily  learned  and  seems  particularly  suited  to  the  nimble  fingers  of  a 
child.  When  the  children  come  home  from  school  at  half-past  three  or 
four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  they  are  put  to  work  on  tags,  and  many  of 
them,  with  an  interval  for  a  brief  supper,  stay  at  the  work  until  late  at 
night  Again  in  the  morning  before  breakfast  they  are  at  work  on  tags, 
in  order  to  make  use  of  the  two  or  three  hours  before  school  begins.  The 
children  very  naturally  dislike  the  work,  with  its  monotony  and  long  hours 
indoors,  but  the  level  of  wages  is  low  among  the  families  of  tag  stringers, 
and  the  parents  feel  that  any  opportunity  for  earning  money  cannot  be 
neglected.  The  community,  on  the  other  hand,  with  a  less  short-sighted 
view  of  real  economy,  cannot  afford  to  allow  the  strength  of  young  children 
to  be  spent  in  long  hours  of  monotonous  labor  and  this  consideration  has 
now  gained  legal  recognition  through  the  new  child  labor  law  of  1913, 
which  prohibits  home  work  as  well  as  factory  employment  for  children 
under  14  years  of  age. 

5.    THE  ATTITUDE  OF  LABOR  ORGANIZATIONS. 

The  connection  between  home  manufacture  and  the  welfare  of  the 
factory  worker  has  long  been  recognized  by  organized  labor.  From  the 
time  of  the  formation  of  the  United  Garment  Workers  of  America  in  1891, 
the  labor  organizations  have  taken  a  definite  stand  in  advocating  the  aboli- 
tion of  home  work,  on  the  ground  that  it  is  detrimental  to  the  health  of 
the  workers  and  lowers  the  standard  of  wages  in  the  trades  concerned. 
The  union  label,  attached  only  to  articles  made  by  union  labor  and  under 
conditions  approved  by  the  union,  has  been  used  to  discourage  the  sale 
of  unlabeled  tenement-made  goods.  The  Cigar  Makers  Union  uses  a  label 
which  it  does  not  allow  to  be  placed  on  cigars  made  by  tenement  labor. 
In  Massachusetts  the  cigarmakers  have  practically  stamped  out  home 
work  upon  tobacco,  except  for  independent  manufacture  in  tenements, 
which  is  not  regarded  as  home  work.  In  the  course  of  the  present  inves- 
tigation inquiries  were  sent  to  15  local  unions  of  cigarmakers  in  various 
parts  of  the  Commonwealth,  and  each  replied  that  to  the  best  of  the 
members'  knowledge  no  home  work  on  tobacco  exist-ed  in  the  districts 
concerned.1 

In  recent  years  the  abolition  of  home  work  has  been  made  an  issue  in 
several  important  strikes,  notably  the  strike  of  the  cloak,  suit,  and  skirt- 
makers  in  New  York  in  the  Summer  of  1910,  and  the  men's  garment 
workers'  strike  in  Boston  in  the  Spring  of  1913.  In  the  case  of  the  former 

1  See  also  page  27. 


THE    PROBLEM   OF   HOME   WORK  21 

strike,  the  protocol  agreement  entered  into  by  the  manufacturers  and  the 
unions  stipulates  that  "  no  work  shall  be  given  to  or  taken  to  employees 
to  be  performed  at  their  homes."  The  recent  strike  in  Boston  was  equally 
successful  in  this  respect;  the  terms  of  settlement  included  the  abolition 
of  home  work  and  subcontracting  between  employees.1  The  efforts  of 
the  unions  in  the  direction  of  the  abolition  of  home  work  have  been  sup- 
plemented by  those  of  the  consumers'  league,  which  has  attempted  to  dis- 
courage tenement  manufacture  by  the  use  of  the  "  Consumers7  League 
Label "  placed  only  upon  goods  made  upon  the  manufacturer's  premises. 

6.    REMEDIES  PROPOSED.  —  PROHIBITION  VERSUS  REGULATION. 

If  it  be  admitted  that  there  are  certain  evils  connected  with  home 
work,  two  remedies  obviously  suggest  themselves :  —  ( 1 )  Absolute  pro- 
hibition or,  (2)  regulation  by  statute,  the  latter  involving  a  system  of 
inspection  and,  presumably,  some  form  of  licensing.  Both  plans  affecting 
the  status  of  home  work  have  their  ardent  advocates  in  this  country.  Up 
to  this  time  the  method  of  prohibition  has  been  employed  only  with  regard 
to  specified  articles,  as  for  example,  in  the  law  passed  in  1913  by  the 
State  of  New  York  prohibiting  the  manufacture  or  preparation  in  tene- 
ment houses  of  food  products  and  certain  other  articles.2  A  tendency 
toward  greater  stringency  of  regulation  is  noticeable  in  other  leading 
industrial  States,  but  the  conclusion  seems  justified  that  legislative  action 
in  many  cases  is  being  delayed  by  the  absence  of  specific  information  on 
the  subject.  The  necessity  for  accurate  knowledge  of  the  extent  and  con- 
ditions of  home  work  has,  therefore,  become  increasingly  manifest. 

Those  who  claim  that  home  work  should  be  entirely  prohibited  main- 
tain that  inspection  can  never  be  really  effective  on  account  of  the  great 
number  of  workers  involved,  the  wide  areas  over  which  they  are  scattered, 
the  number  of  buildings,  apartments  and  rooms  to  be  visited,  and  the 
necessity  of  extremely  frequent  inspection  if  regulations  are  to  be  enforced. 
To  quote  from  the  report  of  the  New  York  State  Factory  Investigating 
Commission,  "  Home  work  means  unregulated  manufacturing,  carried  on 
beyond  the  possibility  of  control  as  to  hours  of  women's  work,  child  labor, 
night-work  of  minors,  or  cleanliness  and  sanitation  of  work  places."  3 
From  this  point  of  view,  prohibition  is  the  only  possible  remedy.  A 
further  argument  for  prohibition  comes  from  a  few  of  the  employers  in 

1  At  a  special  meeting  of  the  executive  boards  and  shop  chairmen  of  the  six  Boston  United  Garment  Workers' 
Unions,  those  of  the  makers  of  men's  garments,  May  27,  1913,  it  was  voted  that  all  local  contractors  be  given 
notice  before  June  1  that  all  tenement- house  work  must  cease  on  or  before  December  1. 

1  Laws  of  1913,  c.  260,  an  Act  to  Amend  the  Labor  Law  with  Relation  to  the  Manufacture  of  Articles  in  Tene- 
ment Houses.  See  The  Labor  Law,  Art.  7,  §  104. 

>  Preliminary  Report  of  the  New  York  State  Factory  Investigating  Commission,  1912,  v.  1,  p.  277. 


22 


HOME   WORK   IN    MASSACHUSETTS 


the  larger  establishments,  who  see  in  the  abolition  of  home  work  an 
advantage  to  be  gained  over  the  smaller  and  cheaper  firms,  who  rely  more 
extensively  upon  outside  labor. 

With  respect  to  the  second  method  of  meeting  the  problems  involved, 
namely,  regulation  by  some  form  of  licensing,  methods  differ  widely  in 
the  several  States.  The  regulation  of  home  work  by  statute  has  been 
undertaken  by  12  in  all,  —  Connecticut,  Illinois,  Indiana,  Maryland, 
Massachusetts,  Michigan,  Missouri,  New  Jersey,  New  York,  Ohio,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  Wisconsin.  Mainly  in  the  interest  of  the  public  health  these 
States  have  regulated  the  manufacture  of  various  articles  of  wearing 
apparel  and  other  articles  commonly  made  in  tenements.  Eight  of  these,  — 
Indiana,  Maryland,  Massachusetts,  Michigan,  New  Jersey,  New  York, 
Pennsylvania,  and  Wisconsin  require  the  licensing  of  the  places  in  which 
such  manufacture  is  carried  on.  Connecticut,  Illinois,  Missouri,  and  Ohio 
require  no  license,  but  Connecticut  requires  the  notification  of  the  factory 
inspector,  and  Illinois  the  notification  of  the  Board  of  Health.  New 
York  requires  a  license  for  the  manufacture  of  any  article  whatsoever,  and 
prohibits  the  manufacture  of  food  and  other  specified  articles.  The  fol- 
lowing table  shows  the  articles  listed  in  the  laws  of  the  12  States  having 
legislation  upon  tenement  manufacture. 

TABLE  5A. — Articles  listed  in  the  Laws  of  the  12  States  having  Legislation  upon  Tene- 
ment Manufacture. 


STATES. 

Licensing 

Articles  Listed  in  the  Regulations 

Connecticut, 

No  license  required,  . 

Wearing  apparel,  purses,  artificial  flowers,  cigars  and  cig- 

arettes. 

Illinois  

No  license  required,  . 

Wearing  apparel,  purses,  feathers,  artificial  flowers,  cigars 

and  cigarettes. 

Indiana, 

License  required, 

Wearing  apparel,  purses,  feathers,  artificial  flowers,  cigars 

and  cigarettes. 

Maryland, 

License  required, 

Wearing  apparel,  purses,  feathers,  artificial  flowers,  cigars 

and  cigarettes. 

Massachusetts,       . 

License  required, 

Wearing  apparel.    Employment  of  children  under  14 

years  of  age  prohibited. 

Michigan, 

License  required, 

Wearing  apparel,  purses,  feathers,  artificial  flowers,  cigars 

and  cigarettes. 

Missouri, 

No  license  required,  . 

Wearing  apparel,  purses,  feathers,  artificial  flowers,  cigars 

and  cigarettes. 

New  Jersey,  . 

License  required, 

Wearing  apparel,  purses,  feathers,  artificial  flowers,  cigars 

and  cigarettes. 

New  York,    . 

License  required. 

All  articles.    Manufacture  of  food,  dolls  and  dolls'  cloth- 

ing and  children's  and  infants'  wearing  apparel  pro- 

hibited.   Employment  of  children  under  14  years  of 

age  prohibited. 

Ohio  

No  license  required,  . 

Wearing  apparel,  purses,  feathers,  artificial  flowers,  cigars 

and  cigarettes. 

Pennsylvania, 

License  required, 

Wearing  apparel,  purses,  feathers,  artificial  flowers,  cigars 

and  cigarettes. 

Wisconsin,     . 

License  required, 

Wearing  apparel  .  purses,  feathers,  artificial  flowers,  cigars, 

cigarettes,  and  umbrellas. 

Eight  States  prohibit  the  employment  of  persons  outside  the  family, 
one  permits  the  employment  of  three  outside  persons,  and  three  have  no 


THE    PROBLEM    OF   HOME   WORK  23 

regulation  upon  this  point.  Five  States  —  Ohio,  Maryland,  Michigan, 
New  York,  and  Pennsylvania  —  specify  the  number  of  cubic  feet  of  air 
space  per  person  working  in  a  tenement  room.  All  the  States  except 
Connecticut,  Illinois,  Indiana,  and  New  Jersey  require  that  every  firm 
employing  tenement  labor  shall  keep  open  for  inspection  a  list  of  the 
names  and  addresses  of  the  persons  so  employed.  In  Massachusetts,  Mis- 
souri, and  New  York  the  law  provides  that  a  tag  bearing  the  words 
"  tenement-made  "  shall  be  affixed  to  articles  manufactured  "  without  a 
license,  or  otherwise  in  violation  of  the  provisions  of  the  acts  governing 
tenement  manufacture."  Other  provisions  of  the  various  States  relate  to 
sanitation,  infectious  and  contagious  diseases,  and  other  matters  of  inspec- 
tion and  registration. 

The  first  legislation  in  Massachusetts  regulating  conditions  in  tenement 
workshops,  aside  from  the  ordinary  requirements  of  the  general  sanitary 
laws  concerning  tenements,  was  an  act  passed  in  1891  (chapter  357). 
The  laws  defined  the  workshop  as  "  any  house,  room,  or  place  used  as  a 
dwelling  and  also  for  the  purpose  of  making,  altering,  repairing,  or  finish- 
ing for  sale  any  ready-made  coats,  vests,  trousers,  or  overcoats,  except  by 
the  family  dwelling  there ;  "  and  required  the  proprietor  of  such  a  shop 
to  notify  the  Chief  of  the  District  Police  of  its  location,  of  the  nature  of 
the  work  done,  and  of  the  number  of  his  employees,  in  order  that  such 
premises  and  the  garments  made  there  might  be  kept  under  strict  sur- 
veillance. Subsequent  amendments 1  made  definitions  clearer  and  re- 
quired workers  to  obtain  licenses  from  the  District  Police  before  receiving 
employment  (Acts  of  1893,  chapter  246).  An  Act  passed  in  1898  (chap- 
ter 150)  prohibited  work  upon  wearing  apparel  of  any  description  what- 
soever intended  for  sale  "  in  any  room  or  apartment  in  any  tenement  or 
dwelling,  .  .  .  except  by  the  family  dwelling  there,"  while  any  family 
desiring  to  do  this  work  must  first  procure  a  license,  employers  being 
forbidden  to  contract  in  any  way  with  unlicensed  workers.  The  Act  of 
1891  (chapter  357)  provided  that  if  any  evidence  of  infectious  disease 
was  found  in  any  workshop  or  in  goods  manufactured  the  Chief  of  the 
District  Police  should  notify  the  State  Board  of  Health  to  examine  the 
workshop  and  the  materials  used,  and  if  found  in  an  unhealthy  condition 
the  State  Board  of  Health  should  issue  such  orders  as  the  public  safety 
might  require.  This  act  also  provided  for  two  additional  inspectors  of 
the  District  Police  to  perform  the  duties  of  such  inspection.  The  Act  of 
1898  (chapter  150)  required  reports  of  unsatisfactory  conditions  to  be 
sent  to  the  local  boards  of  health  instead  of  the  State  Board. 


Acts,  1892,  c.  296;  Acts,  1893,  c.  246;  Acts,  1894,  c.  508;  and  Acts,  1898,  c.  150. 


24  HOME   WORK   IN   MASSACHUSETTS 

In  1907  (chapter  537)  the  regulation  of  tenement  workrooms  was 
transferred  from  the  District  Police  to  the  Inspectors  of  Health  of  the 
State  Board  of  Health.  In  1912,  an  act  was  passed  (chapter  726)  which 
provided  for  the  establishment  of  the  State  Board  of  Labor  and  Industries 
and  to  this  board  was  transferred,  among  other  duties,  the  regulation  of 
tenement  workrooms,  such  transfer  taking  effect  July  1,  1913. 1  On  this 
date  the  State  Board  of  Health  relinquished  these  duties  and  for  the  brief 
period  intervening  until  the  State  Board  of  Labor  and  Industries  was 
appointed  by  the  Governor  in  August,  1913,  there  was  no  enforcing  author- 
ity for  the  tenement  workshop  law. 

The  present  law  regulating  tenement  manufacture  in  Massachusetts  is 
in  part  as  follows :  2 

A  room  or  apartment  in  a  tenement  or  dwelling  house*  shall  not  be  used  for 
the  purpose  of  making,  altering,  repairing  or  finishing  therein  coats,  vests,  trousers 
or  wearing  apparel  of  any  description,  except  by  the  members  of  the  family  dwell- 

i  The  duties  of  the  State  Board  of  Labor  arid  Industries  in  this  connection  are  defined  as  follows  (Acts,  1912, 
c.  726,  §  5): 

.  .  .  "All  powers  and  duties  with  reference  to  the  enforcement  of  laws  relating  to  labor  and  the  employment 
thereof,  the  inspection  and  licensing  of  buildings  or  parts  of  buildings  used  for  industrial  purposes,  the  inspection 
and  licensing  of  the  workers  therein  and  of  all  other  industrial  employees  within  the  commonwealth,  the  en- 
forcement of  laws  relating  to  the  employment  of  women  and  minors,  and  the  institution  of  proceedings  in  prose- 
cution of  violations  of  any  of  the  said  laws,  now  conferred  or  imposed  by  law  upon  the  state  board  of  health  or 
state  inspectors  of  health,  or  upon  the  chief  of  the  district  police,  the  inspectors  of  factories  and  public  buildings 
of  the  district  police,  or  the  inspection  department  of  the  district  police,  of  the  deputy  chief  of  the  inspection 
department  of  the  district  police,  with  the  exception  of  such  duties  and  powers  as  are  now  imposed  by  law  upon 
the  chief  inspector  of  boilers  or  the  boiler  inspectors  of  the  district  police,  and  with  the  further  exception  of  such 
powers  and  duties  as  relate  to  the  inspection  of  buildings  under  erection,  alteration  or  repair,  are  hereby  trans- 
ferred to  the  state  board  of  labor  and  industries.  Said  board  may  delegate  to  such  commissioner,  deputy  com- 
missioners or  inspectors  as  are  under  its  direction  such  of  the  above  powers  as  it  may  deem  necessary  to  carry 
out  the  provisions  of  this  act. 

"Buildings  used  for  industrial  purposes  under  the  meaning  of  this  act  shall  include  factories,  workshops, 
bakeries,  mechanical  establishments,  laundries,  foundries,  tenement-house  workrooms,  all  other  buildings  or 
parts  of  buildings  in  which  manufacturing  is  carried  on,  and  mercantile  establishments  as  denned  in  section 
seventeen  of  chapter  five  hundred  and  fourteen  of  the  acts  of  the  year  nineteen  hundred  and  nine." 

*  For  the  sake  of  clearness  the  words  "  State  Board  of  Labor  and  Industries"  are  here  substituted  in  brackets 
for  the  words  "State  Board  of  Health." 

'  Definition  of  a  "tenement  house  "  in  cities,  —  "  A  '  tenement  house '  is  any  houne  or  building,  or  part  thereof, 
which  is  rented,  leased,  let  or  hired  out,  to  be  occupied,  or  is  occupied,  or  is  intended,  arranged  or  designed  to  be 
occupied  as  the  home  or  residence  of  two  or  more  families,  which  families  may  consist  of  one  or  more  persona, 
living  independently  of  each  other  and  doing  their  cooking  on  the  premises,  and  having  a  common  right  in  the 
halls,  stairways,  yard,  courts,  cellar,  sinks,  water-closets  or  privies,  or  any  of  them.  Where  the  occupants  of 
dwelling  houses  contiguous  and  vertically  divided,  each  occupied  or  intended,  arranged  or  designed  to  be  occu- 
pied as  the  home  or  residence  of  one  family  or  more,  have  a  common  right  in  or  use  in  common  the  halls,  stairways, 
yards,  cellars,  sinks,  water-closets  or  privies,  or  any  of  them,  such  dwelling  houses  shall  be  deemed  to  be  tene- 
ment houses  and  shall  be  subject  to  all  the  provisions  of  this  act."  —  Acts,  191S,  c.  786,  §  2,  1  (/). 

Definition  of  a  "tenement  house"  in  towns.  —  "A  'tenement  house'  is  any  house  or  building,  or  part  thereof, 
which  is  rented,  leased,  let  or  hired  out,  to  be  occupied,  or  is  occupied,  or  is  intended,  arranged  or  designed 
to  be  occupied  as  the  home  or  residence  of  more  than  two  families  (a  family  may  consist  of  one  or  more  persons) 
living  independently  of  each  other  and  having  a  common  right  in  the  halls,  stairways,  yard,  cellar,  sinks, 
water-closets  or  privies,  or  any  of  them,  and  includes  lodging  and  boarding  houses,  apartment  houses,  and  flat 
houses.  Dwelling  houses  built  in  continuous  rows  of  more  than  two  houses,  occupied  or  intended,  arranged  or 
designed  to  be  occupied  as  the  home  or  residence  of  one  family  or  more  having  a  common  right  in  or  using  in 
common  the  halls,  stairways,  yards,  cellars,  sinks,  water-closets  or  privies,  or  any  of  them,  shall  be  deemed  to 
be  tenement  houses  and  shall  be  subject  to  all  the  provisions  of  this  act."  —  Acts,  1919,  c.  6Sf>,  \2,](1 ). 


THE   PROBLEM   OF  HOME   WORK  25 

ing  therein;  and  a  family  which  desires  to  make,  alter,  repair  or  finish  coats,  vests, 
trousers  or  wearing  apparel  of  any  description  in  a  room  or  apartment  in  a  tene- 
ment or  dwelling  house  shall  first  procure  a  license  therefor  from  [the  state  board 
of  labor  and  industries].  A  license  may  be  applied  for  by,  and  issued  to,  any 
member  of  a  family  which  desires  to  do  such  work.  No  person,  partnership  or 
corporation  shall  hire,  employ  or  contract  with  a  member  of  a  family  which  does 
not  hold  a  license  therefor  to  make,  alter,  repair  or  finish  garments  or  articles  of 
wearing  apparel  as  aforesaid,  in  any  room  or  apartment  in  a  tenement  or  dwelling 
house  as  aforesaid.  Every  room  or  apartment  in  which  garments  or  articles  of 
wearing  apparel  are  made,  altered,  repaired  or  finished  shall  be  kept  in  a  cleanly 
condition  and  shall  be  subject  to  the  inspection  and  examination  of  the  [inspectors 
of  the  state  board  of  labor  and  industries]  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  whether 
said  room  or  apartment  or  said  garments  or  articles  of  wearing  apparel  or  any 
parts  thereof  are  clean  and  free  from  vermin  and  from  infectious  or  contagious 
matter.  A  room  or  apartment  in  a  tenement  or  dwelling  house  which  is  not  used 
for  living  or  sleeping  purposes,  and  which  is  not  connected  with  a  room  or  apart- 
ment used  for  living  or  sleeping  purposes  and  which  has  a  separate  and  distinct 
entrance  from  the  outside  shall  not  be  subject  to  the  provisions  of  this  section,  nor 
shall  the  provisions  of  this  section  prevent  the  employment  of  a  tailor  or  seamstress 
by  any  person  or  family  for  the  making  of  wearing  apparel  for  the  use  of  such 
person  or  family.  Every  person,  firm  or  corporation  hiring,  employing  or  con- 
tracting with  a  member  of  a  family  holding  a  license  under  this  section  for  the 
making,  altering,  repairing  or  finishing  of  garments  or  wearing  apparel  to  be  done 
outside  the  premises  of  such  person,  firm  or  corporation,  shall  keep  a  register  of 
the  names  and  addresses  plainly  written  in  English  of  the  persons  so  hired,  em- 
ployed or  contracted  with,  and  shall  forward  a  copy  of  such  register  once  a  month 
to  the  [state  board  of  labor  and  industries.]  *• 

At  the  time  the  present  investigation  was  in  progress,  the  regulation 
of  tenement  manufacture  was  still  in  the  hands  of  the  State  Board  of 
Health.2  But  in  spite  of  the  attempt  to  protect  the  consumer  hy  licensing 

i  Acts,  1909,  c.  514,  §  106. 

«  The  44th  Annual  Report  of  the  State  Board  of  Health  for  1912  gives  the  following  statistics  which  are  of 
interest  as  showing  the  number  of  inspections  made  and  licenses  granted  for  that  year:  — 

Numerical  Data  for  All  Districts. 

Number  of  licenses  granted, 2,511 

Number  of  licenses  refused 158 

Number  of  licenses  not  wanted, 90 

Number  of  licenses  revoked, 150 

Number  of  reinspections, 1,093 

Number  not  in  at  time  of  visit, 525 

Number  not  found, 340 

Of  the  150  licenses  revoked,  41  were  revoked  on  account  of  communicable  diseases  that  occurred  among  the 
families  of  the  tenement  workers  as  follows:  Scarlet  fever,  24;  diphtheria,  9;  measles,  6;  chicken  pox,  2. 

"In  the  Massachusetts  Bay  district  there  are  approximately  about  1,600  licenses  outstanding  all  of  the  time, 
and  at  times  the  number  is  as  high  as  2,200.  Of  this  number  fully  one-third  are  held  by  women  residing  in  the 
better  residential  districts  where  frequent  reinspeetion  as  far  as  sanitary  conditions  are  concerned  is  wholly 
unnecessary.  Reinspection  once  a  year  in  these  districts  is  amply  sufficient.  What  is  of  importance  is  to  keep 
track  of  any  possible  occurrence  of  communicable  diseases  in  such  homes,  and  this  is  done  by  checking  off  daily 
the  lists  of  communicable  diseases  which  are  received  from  the  local  boards  of  health.  About  one-third  of  the 


26 


HOME   WORK   IN   MASSACHUSETTS 


families  who  work  on  wearing  apparel,  more  than  one-half  of  the  families 
from  which  information  was  obtained  in  the  course  of  the  study  were  un- 
licensed, as  shown  by  the  following  table. 

TABLE  6.  —  Licensed  and  Unlicensed  Families  of  Home  Workers. 


WEARING  APPAREL  INDUSTRIES. 

Number  of 
Families 
Interviewed 

Number  of 
Licensed 
Families 

Number  of 
Unlicensed 
Families 

Number  of 
Families  not 
Reporting  as 
to  License 

All  Wearing  Apparel  Industrie*. 

645 

29S 

339 

13 

Clothing,  men's  —  coats  and  pants, 

109 

101 

6 

2 

Clothing,  men's  —  shirts  and  pajamas, 

36 

36 

Clothing,  women's  —  machine-made, 

17 

9 

7 

1 

Clothing,  women's  —  handwork,     . 

74 

29 

44 

1 

Neckwear,  dress  trimmings,  and  buttons, 
Shoes  and  shoe  trimmings, 
Hosiery  and  machine-knit  goods,    . 
Garters,  suspenders,  and  elastic  woven  goods, 
Other  wearing  apparel,    

63 
166 
136 
21 
23 

»  41 

5 

101 

1 
6 

20 
158 
31 
20 
17 

2 
3 

4 

Outside  of  Metropolitan  Boston  only  one  family  was  found  to  have  a 
license  (a  corset  worker  in  Worcester).  That  is,  214  families  in  12 
municipalities  —  Chicopee,  Foxborough,  Haverhill,  Leominster,  New- 
buryport,  Northampton,  Reading,  Salem,  Framingham,  Springfield,  West 
Springfield,  and  Worcester  —  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  wearing 
apparel  of  various  kinds,  were,  with  one  exception,  under  no  control  what- 
soever in  regard  to  the  conditions  under  which  they  carried  on  their  work.2 

It  is  particularly  important  that  such  garments  as  men's  shirts  and 
pajamas  and  articles  of  women's  clothing  should  be  under  some  kind  of 
supervision.  Although  the  investigation  revealed  no  strikingly  unsanitary 
conditions  in  the  places  where  such  manufacturing  is  carried  on,  the  fact 
that  more  than  one-half  the  families  studied  were  unlicensed  and  conse- 
quently free  from  regulation  reveals  the  possibility  of  the  occurrence  of 

workers  live  in  sections  not  quite  so  good,  but  still  not  requiring  reinspection  oftener  than  twice  a  year.  Strange 
as  it  may  seem  not  more  than  one-third  of  the  licenses  are  held  by  women  living  in  the  congested  districts  where 
frequent  reinspection  is  necessary.  .  .  .  The  principal  home  work  in  the  men's  tailoring  industry  is  the  finishing 
of  men's  trousers.  .  .  .  There  are  about  592  licenses  held  for  this  industry,  nearly  200  of  which  were  not  being 
used  at  the  time  of  the  last  inspection." 

1  Includes  one  who  used  license  of  a  friend  whose  name  is  on  the  pay-roll. 

*  The  State  Board  of  Labor  and  Industries  in  its  first  annual  report  (page  14)  aays  with  reference  to  the 
licensing  of  home  workers: 

"As  an  instance  of  constructive  effort  in  finding  new  fields  of  home  workers  the  city  of  Haverhill  may  be  cited. 
The  State  Board  of  Health  report  gave  no  intimation  of  licenses  having  been  granted  there,  and  from  private  or- 
ganizations which  had  been  carrying  on  investigations  information  was  received  that  very  little  home  work  was 
performed  in  that  place. 

"One  of  the  investigators  of  this  Board  was  sent  to  make  a  survey  of  the  city,  and  in  studying  the  shoe  industry 
it  was  found  that  the  making  of  ornaments  for  shoes  was  largely  carried  on  in  the  homes.  To  make  the  survey  as 
complete  as  possible,  various  persons  and  organizations  were  consulted,  .  .  . 

"All  were  interested  and  co-operative,  and  publicity  in  the  newspapers  was  of  great  help  in  acquainting  the 
people  with  the  law.  Twenty-two  employers  in  that  city  have  already  sent  in  lists  of  their  home  workers,  many 
more  have  asked  for  information,  and  1,000  applications  for  licenses  in  Haverhill  alone  have  been  registered  up 
to  the  date  of  this  report." 


THE   PROBLEM   OF  HOME   WORK  27 

disease  or  other  unhealthful  conditions  at  any  time,  beyond  the  knowledge 
or  control  of  the  public. 

Massachusetts  is  the  only  State  regulating  home  work  which  has  con- 
lined  its  attention  to  wearing  apparel.  Games  and  toys,  including  dolls, 
are  given  out  for  home  work  without  any  restriction.  Food,  also  entirely 
unregulated,  is  probably  very  rarely  manufactured  or  prepared  in  the 
homes  except  by  persons  who  sell  directly  to  the  consumer.  Macaroni  and 
candy,  made  in  this  way  by  persons  acting  as  independent  manufacturers, 
are  frequently  offered  for  sale  in  retail  stores  on  the  premises.  Tobacco 
working  in  tenements  in  this  Commonwealth  is  conducted  in  such  a  man- 
ner as  to  take  it,  technically  at  least,  from  the  home-work  class.  Most  of 
the  dwellings  in  which  this  work  is  done  are  located  in  Boston  and  are 
under  the  careful  regulation  of  the  Cigar  Makers  Union.  This  organiza- 
tion is  anxious  to  discourage  tobacco  work  in  dwellings,  in  order  that  the 
larger  manufacturers  who  produce  their  goods  under  sanitary  conditions 
as  insisted  upon  by  the  Union  may  not  have  to  compete  with  the  tenement- 
house  producers.  The  label  of  the  Cigar  Makers  Union  is  a  guarantee 
that  the  tobacco  products  have  been  made  under  desirable  conditions,  since 
this  label  can  not  be  used  until  a  committee  from  the  union  has  examined 
the  building,  room,  or  apartment  in  which  the  goods  are  to  be  made  and 
has  approved  of  the  conditions  there.  Only  union  men  may  work  in  such 
places  and  the  room  or  rooms  may  not  be  used  for  any  other  purpose  than 
that  of  cigarmaking.  The  product  of  the  dwelling-house  factories  in  Bos- 
ton is  generally  disposed  of  to  wholesalers  and  to  liquor  dealers  or  direct 
to  the  consumer,  the  union  fixing  the  minimum  price  at  which  the  differ- 
ent grades  of  cigars  may  be  offered  for  sale  by  these  independent  producers. 

Advocates  of  regulation  admit  the  defects  of  the  licensing  and  inspect 
tion  system,  but  consider  abolition  out  of  the  question  at  the  present  time. 
An  attempt  to  do  away  with  all  outside  work  might  cause  many  persons 
who  are  now  able  to  earn  a  part  of  their  own  living  to  become  dependent 
upon  their  relatives  or  upon  the  State.  These  persons  who  are  quite 
unable  to  stand  the  strain  and  pace  of  factory  work,  through  physical  or 
mental  incapacity,  or  a  weight  of  domestic  responsibility,  are,  at  the  present 
time,  useful,  busy  citizens,  contributing  as  much  as  they  are  able  —  and  in 
many  cases  this  is  no  inconsiderable  amount  —  to  the  industrial  process. 
If  their  occupations  were  suddenly  taken  away  from  them,  not  only  would 
the  principal  wage-earners  of  their  families  have  heavier  burdens  of  re- 
sponsibility, but  society  itself  would  be  the  loser  in  refusing  to  make  use 
of  the  great  productive  capacity  which  is  in  the  possession  of  workers  out- 
side the  factory  walls.  Persons  who  are  perfectly  able  to  add  their  share 


28  HOME   WORK   IN   MASSACHUSETTS 

to  the  wealth  of  the  community  would  be  compelled  to  live  out  their  days 
in  unproductiveness.  Society,  at  great  expense  to  itself  and  hardship  to 
the  people  immediately  concerned,  would  thus  bring  about  a  decrease  in 
its  own  productivity.  Those  who  take  this  view  hold  that  the  task  to  be 
undertaken  is  not  the  abolition  of  home  work,  but  the  admittedly  difficult 
one  of  so  changing  the  present  methods  of  regulation  that  the  protection 
of  both  worker  and  consumer  may  actually  be  accomplished.1 

In  connection  with  the  further  regulation  of  home  work,  a  plan  is 
suggested  which  has  attracted  increasing  attention  in  recent  years  —  the 
establishment  of  minimum  wage  boards  to  fix  the  rate  of  payment  for  home 
work  in  special  trades.  The  determinations  of  the  Australian  Wages 
Boards,  which  have  been  in  operation  since  1896,  and  of  the  more  recently 
established  English  boards  furnish  a  precedent  for  those  who  advocate 
this  form  of  legal  regulation.  In  Victoria,  for  example,  piece-rates  for 
tailoring  are  fixed  by  a  special  board.  Employees  are  instructed  that 
piece-work  scales  for  outworkers  must  be  so  adjusted  that  they  represent 
the  minimum  time-rate  laid  down  in  the  determination  of  the  board.  The 
decision  as  to  the  rate  per  hour  which  is  the  equivalent  of  the  piece-rate 
is  arrived  at  largely  on  the  judgment  of  the  inspectors,  who  are  sometimes 
experts  in  the  trades  concerned.  If  individual  workers  find  that  they  have 
been  sent  work  at  a  piece-rate  which  does  not  equal  the  minimum  time- 
rate,  they  may  enter  complaints.  The  English  boards  operate  in  a  very 
nearly  similar  way  in  fixing  rates  for  paper  boxmakers  and  lacemakers. 
The  impression  prevails  that  the  wages  and  conditions  of  home  work  have 
improved  since  the  inauguration  of  the  system. 

If  such  a  system  were  inaugurated  in  Massachusetts,  where  industrial 
conditions  differ  in  various  respects  from  those  in  which  the  experiment 
has  already  been  tried,  the  outcome  would  depend  upon  numerous  inde- 
terminable factors.  It  is  possible  that  home  work  is  at  the  present  time 
so  indispensable  to  the  manufacturers  that  they  would  accept  a  minimum 
rate  corresponding  to  12  to  15  cents  an  hour,  for  example,  for  their  home 
workers,  and  would  continue  to  give  out  the  work  in  undiminished  quan- 
tity. In  that  case  the  income  of  the  workers  would  increase  to  a  consider- 

1  Professor  John  R.  Commons,  formerly  of  the  Wisconsin  Industrial  Commission,  has  suggested  that  the  chief 
home  work  inspector  of  State  labor  departments  be  given  large  discretionary  powers,  the  dangers  of  such 
powers  being  overcome  by  public  hearings;  that  the  bureau  of  home  work  inspection  deal  with  individual 
persons,  firms,  and  situations,  so  that  those  who  could  not  work  in  the  factory  should  not  be  deprived  of  the 
support  gained  from  home  work;  that  a  committee  be  appointed  by  such  a  bureau,  to  be  composed  of  represent- 
atives of  employers,  employees,  labor  organizations,  Women's  Trade  Union  League,  Associated  Charities,  and 
other  interested  bodies  which  could  deal  with  cases  of  persons  desiring  to  do  home  work,  as  the  widely  varying 
conditions  of  work,  workers,  and  localities  would  appear  to  demand  that  the  case  method  be  used  in  dealing 
with  the  situation. 


THE   PROBLEM   OF  HOME   WORK  29 

able  extent,  in  the  event  that  they  continued  to  work  the  same  number  of 
hours  as  now;  the  present  study  would  seem  to  show,  however,  that  the 
majority  of  the  families  are  not  totally  dependent  upon  the  income  from 
home  work,  but  undertake  it  in  order  to  gain  certain  luxuries;  in  such 
instances  the  workers  might  or  might  not  care  to  increase  their  earnings. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  increased  rate,  placed  hypothetically  at  12  or  15 
cents  an  hour,  might  fall  so  heavily  on  the  manufacturers  that  they  would 
cease  to  give  out  home  work.  In  such  cases  the  argument  becomes  one  for 
prohibition.  It  is  much  more  probable  that  this  rate  would  result  in  the 
cessation  of  home  work  in  certain  industries  but  not  in  others,  a  condition 
which  would  be  likely  to  result  in  a  raising  of  industrial  standards  in 
the  industries  most  in  need  of  such  improvement. 


CHAPTER  II 
ANALYSIS  OF  CONDITIONS  IN  HOME-WOKK  INDUSTEIES 

BY  AMY  HEWES 

In  presenting  the  results  of  this  inquiry,  a  separate  report  has  been 
prepared  for  each  of  the  five  principal  industries.  On  the  basis  of  these 
reports,  a  comparative  study  has  been  made  of  the  conditions  in  the 
various  industries  with  a  summary  of  the  conditions  surrounding  home 
work  in  general.  This  general  analysis  of  the  results  of  the  investigation 
is  presented  in  the  following  tables  and  the  accompanying  text. 

1.    SEX  AND  AGE. 

A  group  of  home  workers,  however  extensive,  may  be  expected  to  show 
marked  differences  of  age  and  sex  composition  as  compared  with  the  cor- 
responding industrial  group  in  a  factory.  Young  children,  long  ago  for- 
bidden by  law  to  work  in  a  factory,  and  women,  usually  prevented  by 
domestic  duties  from  engaging  in  regular  industrial  occupations,  make  up 
the  greater  part  of  the  labor  force.  The  following  table  shows  the  number 
and  the  percentage  of  male  and  female  workers  in  specified  age  groups. 

TABLE  7.  —  Sex  and  Age  of  Home  Workers  in  Att  Industries. 


AGE  GROUPS. 

MALES 

FEMALES 

BOTH  SEXES 

Number 

Percent- 
ages* 

Number 

Percent- 
ages1 

Number 

Percent- 
age^ 

All  Ages. 

Under  five  years,        
Five  yeare  and  under  10,    

393 

1 
83 
116 
39 
16 
9 
10 
7 
6 
10 
11 
3 
4 
4 
27 
47 

100.0 

0.3 
24.0 
33.5 
11.2 
4.6 
2.6 
2.9 
2.0 
1.7 
2.9 
3.2 
0.9 
1.2 
1.2 
7.8 

2,016 

9 
97 
155 
92 
60 
79 
104 
167 
191 
217 
202 
135 
91 
71 
151 
195 

100.0 

0.5 
5.3 
8.5 
5.1 
3.3 
4.3 
5.7 
9.2 
10.5 
11.9 
11.1 
7.4 
5.0 
3.9 
8.3 

2,409 

10 
180 
271 
131 
76 
88 
114 
174 
197 
227 
213 
138 
95 
75 
178 
242 

100.0 

0.5 

8.3 
12.5 
6.0 
3.5 
4.0 
5.3 
8.0 
9.1 
10.5 
9.8 
6.4 
4.4 
3.5 
8.2 

14  years  and  under  16  
16  years  and  under  18,        

21  years  and  under  25,        

25  years  and  under  30  
30  years  and  under  35,        
35  years  and  under  40  
40  years  and  under  45  

50  years  and  under  55,        

Age  not  reported,'      

1  The  percentages  in  this  table  are  computed  on  the  basis  of  the  number  reporting. 

*  The  entry  "  Not  reported"  in  this  table  and  others  means  that  the  information  in  question  was  not  obtained 
for  the  numbers  given.  Of  the  2,409  home  workers  investigated,  242,  including  47  males  and  195  fema.es,  did 
not  supply  information  as  to  age.  Ten  of  these  workers,  all  of  whom  were  females,  were  under  16  years  of  age, 
but  the  exact  age  was  not  reported. 

In  the  present  study  the  largest  number  of  workers  included  in  any 
one  age  group  was  271,  found  in  the  group  10  and  under  14  years,  the 


ANALYSIS   OF   CONDITIONS  31 

ages  at  which  children  have  developed  sufficient  strength  and  steadiness  to 
perform  many  kinds  of  manual  work.  The  employment  of  children  under 
14  years  of  age  in  factories  has  been  illegal  since  1898,  but  this  prohibition 
was  not  extended  to  home  work  until  last  year  through  the  passage  of  the 
new  child  labor  law  which  went  into  effect  September  1,  1913.1  The 
work  done  by  children  is  usually  irregular,  and  is  crowded  into  the  hours 
after  school  closes,  sometimes  lasting  until  late  into  the  night.  A  large 
number  of  children,  180,  is  included  in  the  age  group  five  and  under  10 
years.  Including  the  10  children  under  five  years  who  were  found  at 
work,  the  group  of  children  under  14  years  formed  over  one-fifth  —  21.3 
per  cent  —  of  the  whole  number  of  home  workers  whose  ages  were  re- 
ported. 

The  second  largest  number  of  persons  within  a  single  age  group,  227, 
or  10.5  per  cent,  lies  between  the  ages  of  35  and  40.  This  group  is  made 
up  largely  of  women,  for  after  14  the  boys  begin  to  drop  out  and  the  num- 
ber of  men  included  in  the  succeeding  age  groups  is  almost  negligible.  At 
this  period  in  the  mother's  life  the  size  of  the  family  has  increased, 
usually  to  its  largest  dimensions,  and  the  oldest  children  are  not  yet  old 
enough  to  enter  the  factory.  It  is  deemed  necessary  to  supplement  the 
family  income  in  some  way.  Home  work  gives  employment  in  which  the 
mother  can  supervise  her  house  and  her  children,  and  at  the  same  time  add 
something  to  the  family  earnings. 

The  table  indicates  the  gradual  dropping  out  of  males  over  the  age 
of  14.  Of  the  154  males  16  years  of  age  and  over  98  were  found  at  work 
on  Paper  Goods.  These  men  are  largely  factory  hands  who  do  their  part 
of  the  family  work  on  tags  or  other  paper  goods  while  they  are  at  home  in 
the  evening.  It  is  hardly  necessary  to  comment  upon  the  fact  that  men 
take  up  home  work  less  frequently  than  do  women.  The  same  forces 
which  make  it  an  insufficient  and  precarious  source  of  income  for  the  self- 
dependent  woman  make  it  a  form  of  occupation  which  the  ordinary  man 
undertakes  only  in  a  desultory  way  to  fill  his  evenings,  or  as  a  last  resort 
when  disabled  or  incapacitated  by  age. 

Old  persons  who  have  left  outside  employment  can  often  perform  the 
rougher  kinds  of  home  work.  The  present  study  included  178  persons  60 
years  of  age  and  over  who  had  taken  up  home  work,  or  8.2  per  cent  of  the 
whole  number  whose  ages  were  obtained. 

»  Acts,  1913,  c.  831,  §  1.    (See  note  1,  on  page  19,  ante.) 


32 


HOME   WORK    IN    MASSACHUSETTS 


2.    SCHOOL  ATTENDANCE. 

Although  a  large  number  of  children  of  school  age  were  found  doing 
home  work,  the  task  was  usually  done  outside  of  school  hours,  and  the 
numher  of  children  who  were  not  attending  school  was  not  very  large. 
Table  8  shows  the  school  attendance  for  age  groups. 

TABLE  8.  —  School  Attendance  of  Home  Workers  in  All  Industries. 


NUUBBR  OF 

NUMBER  OF 

NUMBEE   OF 

MALES  — 

FEMALES  — 

BOTH  SEXES  — 

AGK  GBOUPS. 

In 

Not  in 

In 

Not  in 

In 

Not  in 

School 

School 

School 

School 

School 

School 

Under  18  Years. 

229 

26 

339 

84 

568 

110 

Under  five  years  

_ 

1 

1 

8 

1 

0 

Five  years  and  under  10,    . 
10  years  and  under  14  

80 
116 

3 

91 

152 

6 
3 

171 

268 

9 
3 

14  years  and  under  16,        .... 

28 

11 

70 

22 

98 

33 

16  years  and  under  18,         .... 

5 

11 

17 

43 

22 

54 

Under  16  years,  exact  a?e  not  reported,     . 

8 

2 

8 

2 

Twelve  children,  nine  girls  and  three  boys,  or  2.7  per  cent  of  451 
children  found  in  home  work  between  the  ages  of  five  and  14,  were  out  of 
school  at  the  time  the  homes  were  visited,  but  in  no  case  could  the  in- 
vestigator feel  certain  that  the  child  had  been  kept  out  of  school  for  the 
purpose  of  helping  in  home  work.  One  child  was  epileptic,  another  men- 
tally defective,  a  third  had  a  sore  hand,  and  a  fourth  was  "  too  nervous 
to  go  to  school."  Seven  of  the  12  children  were  workers  on  Paper  Goods, 
for  even  a  sick  or  mentally  defective  child  can  perform  the  simple  opera- 
tion of  tag  stringing,  —  looping  a  string  through  the  hole  in  the  end  of  a 
tag.  While  home  work  does  not  directly  interfere  with  school  attendance, 
the  child's  strength  of  body  and  alertness  of  mind  are  impaired  by  long 
and  late  hours  of  mechanical,  monotonous  work.  This  conclusion  was 
supported  by  the  testimony  given  by  public  school  teachers  in  a  town  noted 
for  the  prevalence  of  home  work.  These  teachers,  coming  from  towns 
where  little  home  work  was  done,  were  impressed  by  the  mental  apathy 
and  lack  of  vigor  in  the  children  in  their  classes.  The  children  were  fairly 
regular  in  coming  to  school,  but  they  seemed  uninterested  and  the  class 
work  dragged.  Visits  to  several  of  the  homes  revealed  the  fact  that  many 
of  the  children  in  question  had  stayed  up  late  at  night  to  work  on  tags. 
The  lack  of  play  and  sleep  had  already  begun  to  affect  their  physical  and 
mental  equipment.  This  consideration  justifies  the  prohibition  of  home 
work  for  children  under  14  years  of  age  enacted  in  1913.1 


Acts,  1913,  c.  831,  5  1.    (See  note  1,  on  page  19,  ante.) 


ANALYSIS   OF   CONDITIONS 


33 


3.    MARITAL  CONDITION. 

A  study  of  the  marital  condition  of  adult L  home  workers  shows  that 
married  persons  predominate  heavily.  The  following  table  shows  the 
number  of  home  workers  16  years  of  age  and  over  classified  as  single,  as 
married,  and  as  widowed,  separated,  divorced,  or  deserted. 

TABLE  9.  —  Marital  Condition  of  Home  Workers  16  Years  of  Age  and  Over  in  All 

Industries. 


MABITAL  CONDITION. 

Males 

Females 

Both 
Sexes 

Single, 

Totals. 

154 

52 

1,653 

326 

1,807 

378 

Married, 
Widowed, 

separated,  divorced,  or  deserted,  

96 
*6 

1,075 
252 

1,171 

258 

The  preceding  table  shows  that  approximately  two-thirds,  or  64.8 
per  cent  of  the  home  workers  16  years  of  age  and  over,  were  married,  20.9 
per  cent  were  single,  and  14.3  per  cent  were  widowed,  separated,  divorced, 
or  deserted.  These  proportions  indicate  that  in  general  it  is  not  the  widow 
or  the  single  woman  who  relies  upon  home  work.  The  income  from  this 
source  is  uncertain  and  fluctuating;  it  provides  not  primary  means  of 
subsistence,  but  a  supplementary  income.  Naturally,  therefore,  the  ranks 
of  adult  home  workers  are  recruited  chiefly  from  the  wives  of  wage-earning 
men. 

4.    DOMESTIC  STATUS. 

Table  10  shows  the  number  and  the  percentage  of  women  home  workers 
at  home,  with  or  without  adult  male  wage-earners  in  the  family,  and  the 
number  and  the  percentage  of  women  "  adrift  ".3 

1  The  term  "adult"  as  used  in  this  report  signifies  a  person  16  years  of  age  and  over. 

2  Includes  one  for  whom  marital  condition  was  not  reported. 

8  Following  the  plan  described  in  "Wage-Earning  Women  in  Stores  and  Factories  "  (Volume  V  of  the  Report 
of  the  United  States  Bureau  of  Labor  on  the  Condition  of  Woman  and  Child  Wage-Earners  in  the  United  States), 
the  term  "adrift"  has  been  used  to  designate  "both  the  boarding  and  lodging  women  wage-earners,  as  well  as 
those  whose  so-called  homes  have  become  only  impeding  wreckage."  A  girl  or  woman  who  has  lost  one  of  her 
parents  may  still  have  in  the  other  an  effective  social  protector  or  an  economic  stay,  and  she  has  been  regarded 
as  having  one  of  the  essentials  of  a  home;  but  a  woman  with  no  one  able  to  sustain  her,  economically  or  socially, 
in  time  of  need,  has  been  placed  in  the  class  of  those  who  have  been  termed  "adrift."  A  woman  deserted  or 
widowed  may  be  said  to  be  "at  home"  if  her  children  are  earning  and  assisting  in  the  family  support;  if,  on  the 
other  hand,  they  are  entirely  dependent  upon  her,  they  act  as  liabilities  instead  of  assets,  and  the  woman  is 
essentially  "adrift." 


34 


HOME   WORK   IN   MASSACHUSETTS 


TABLE  10.  —  Domestic  Status  of  Women  Home  Workers  16  Years  of  Age  and  Over  in 

All  Industries. 


CLASSIFICATION. 

Numbers 

Percentages 

Totals. 

1,653 

100.0 

Having  male  wage-earners  in  family,          
No  male  wage-earners  in  family,         

1,332 
243 

81.0 
14.8 

Women  adrift,       ............. 

69 

4  2 

Domestic  status  not  reported,     

9 

Only  69  of  the  1,644  women  home  workers  16  years  of  age  and  over 
for  whom  information  was  secured  were  classed  as  "  adrift."  Of  those  at 
home  (1,575),  by  far  the  greater  number,  1,332,  or  84.6  per  cent,  had 
adult  male  wage-earners  in  the  family.  This  proportion,  it  may  be  added, 
holds  almost  uniformly  throughout  the  various  industries. 

5.    NATIVITY. 

The  following  table  shows  the  number  of  native-born  and  foreign-born 
among  the  home  workers,  classified  by  industries. 

TABLE  11.  —  Nativity  of  Home  Workers:  By  Industries. 


NUMBER  OF  HOMB  WORKKRS  IN  — 

WEARING  APPARRL 

NATIVITY  OF 
HOMB  WORKERS. 

All 

Indus- 
tries 

Men's 
Coats 
and 
Pants 

Shoes 
and 
Shoe 
Trim- 

Hosiery 
and 
Ma- 
chine- 
knit 

Other 
Wear- 
ing 
Apparel 

Paper 
Goods 

Jewelry 
and 

Silver- 
ware 

Sport- 
ing 
Goods 

Cellu- 
loid 
Goods 

Other 
Indus- 
tries 

mings 

Goods 

Totals. 

2,409 

129 

207 

160 

300 

912 

273 

173 

96 

159 

NativeJ>orn. 

1,118 

6 

ISO 

60 

172 

320 

174 

96 

65 

82 

Native-born     of     native 

father  
Native-born    of    foreign 

605 

2 

102 

44 

105 

132 

96 

67 

24 

33 

father,  .         . 

411 

3 

26 

24 

56 

148 

71 

19 

21 

43 

Native-born,  place  of  birth 

of  father  unknown, 

97 

- 

2 

1 

11 

40 

7 

10 

20 

6 

Foreign-born. 

783 

ISO 

48 

79 

111 

201 

77 

6f> 

31 

51 

Armenia, 
Austria,    . 

32 
3 

~ 

9 

9 

14 

: 

— 

~ 

_ 

2 

Austria  (Poland), 

6 

_ 

_ 

_ 

_ 

_ 

- 

6 

- 

- 

Canada  (French), 

112 

_ 

7 

4 

13 

3 

36 

22 

11 

16 

Canada  lOther), 

100 

_ 

9 

15 

32 

10 

12 

12 

7 

3 

England,  . 

45 

_ 

1 

8 

3 

18 

8 

4 

1 

2 

France, 

9 

_ 

2 

2 

4 

_ 

1 

- 

Germany, 

17 

_ 

1 

2 

3 

7 

1 

- 

3 

Ireland,    . 

164 

_ 

4 

5 

30 

81 

9 

14 

2 

19 

Italy,        .        . 

212 

115 

2 

23 

5 

54 

1 

3 

8 

1 

Norway,  . 
Portugal, 

3 
11 

5 

: 

i 

2 

2 
4 

• 

— 

_ 

~ 

Russia,     . 

19 

_ 

_ 

_ 

_ 

17 

— 

2 

— 

— 

Russia  (Poland), 
Scotland, 

3 
12 

: 

i 

f 

3 

1 

1 
3 

_ 

— 

2 
1 

Sweden,   .        . 

18 

- 

5 

4 

3 

1 

2 

1 

- 

2 

Syria, 

11 

_ 

9 

_ 

J 

1 

— 

— 

— 

— 

Other  foreign  countries, 

6 

- 

2 

2 

1 

- 

1 

- 

Nativity  Not  Reported. 

613 

4 

89 

12 

17 

391 

ft 

IS 

- 

26 

ANALYSIS   OF   CONDITIONS  35 

The  native-born  home  workers  numbered  1,113,  or  59  per  cent  of  all 
the  home  workers  from  whom  information  was  secured  as  to  nativity.1 
Among  the  foreign-born  the  Italians  predominated,  most  of  them  being 
employed  on  Wearing  Apparel,  over  100  as  home  finishers  in  the  North 
End  of  Boston.  Nearly  as  numerous  are  the  natives  of  Ireland,  somewhat 
concentrated  in  Paper  Goods,  owing  to  the  fact  that  a  large  group  of  tag 
stringers  was  found  in  an  almost  wholly  Irish  neighborhood.  French 
Canadians,  third  in  number,  are  distributed  more  evenly  among  the 
various  industries,  with  a  slight  concentration  in  the  jewelry  industry. 
Canadians  of  other  than  French  origin  and  natives  of  Great  Britain  are 
next  in  order  of  numbers.  The  representatives  of  other  countries  are  com- 
paratively few.  A  total  of  43  persons  born  in  Turkey  is  made  up  largely 
of  Armenians  engaged  in  work  upon  slippers  and  garters.  It  is  noticeable 
that  the  countries  from  which  the  Jewish  people  come  are  only  slightly 
represented. 

The  fact  that  the  majority  of  the  home  workers  are  of  native  birth 
indicates  a  point  at  which  the  findings  of  the  present  study  are  at  variance 
with  popular  impression.  The  general  view,  fostered  by  special  studies 
of  home  work  processes  in  selected  sections  of  the  large  cities,  seems  to 
be  that  home  work  is  done  almost  wholly  in  Italian  and  Jewish  families. 
In  a  state-wide  survey  of  the  dimensions  of  the  present  study  the  foreign 
character  of  the  workers  has  decidedly  lost  emphasis,  and  the  large  share 
of  the  work  performed  by  American-born  persons  comes  into  prominence. 
The  only  striking  exception  is  the  case  of  work  on  men's  coats  and  pants, 
where  the  workers  are  almost  wholly  of  Italian  birth,  living  in  the  North 
End  of  Boston. 

It  is  of  course  difficult  to  assign  any  one  explanation  of  the  prominence 
of  native-born  workers  which  would  be  wholly  satisfactory.  In  view 
of  the  low  earnings  available  from  home  work,  even  with  maximum 
effort  (a  subject  which  will  receive  further  consideration  at  a  later  point  in 
the  report),  the  explanation  may  lie  in  the  fact  that  the  newly  arrived 
immigrant  family  is  obliged  to  be  self-supporting  and  consequently  its 
members  are  under  the  necessity  of  finding  better  paid  and  more  regular 
employment. 

>  The  total  population  of  Massachusetts  in  1910  shows  the  following  percentages:   Native-born,  68.6  per  cent; 
foreign-born,  31.6  per  cent. 


36 


HOME   WORK   IN   MASSACHUSETTS 


The  following  table,  showing  the  nativity  of  fathers  of  home  workers, 
gives  a  slightly  different  order  of  places  of  birth  than  the  order  of  the 
home  workers  themselves  considered  in  Table  11. 

TABLE  12.  —  Nativity  of  Fathers  of  Home  Workers:  By  Industries. 


NUMBER  OF  HOME  WORKERS  IN  — 

NATIVITT  or  FATHERS. 

All 
Indus- 
tries 

Men's 
Coats 
and 
Pants 

Shoes 
and 
Shoe 
Trim- 

Hosiery 
and 
Ma- 
chine- 
knit 

Other 
Wear- 
ing 
Apparel 

Paper 
Goods 

Jewelry 
and 
Silver- 
ware 

Sport- 
ing 
Goods 

Cellu- 
loid 
Goods 

Other 
Indus- 
tries 

mings 

Goods 

Totals. 

2,409 

129 

207 

160 

300 

912 

273 

173 

96 

159 

Native-born. 

605 

2 

102 

44 

106 

132 

96 

67 

24 

53 

Foreign-born. 

1£69 

123 

78 

107 

168 

495 

163 

84 

62 

99 

Armenia, 

33 

_ 

8 

10 

15 

m 

_ 

— 

Austria,  . 

7 

_ 

_ 

1 

_ 

_ 

_ 

_ 

6 

Austria  (Poland), 

6 

_ 

_ 

_ 

_ 

_ 

6 

_ 

Canada  (French), 

198 

_ 

15 

6 

22 

14 

70 

25 

21 

25 

Canada  (Other), 

116 

_ 

14 

16 

34 

19 

13 

9 

5 

6 

England, 

104 

_ 

3 

12 

5 

53 

18 

9 

2 

2 

France,   . 

21 

_ 

3 

4 

8 

1 

5 

„ 

Germany, 

45 

_ 

2 

4 

6 

20 

6 

2 

5 

Ireland,  . 

391 

_ 

14 

12 

60 

207 

26 

25 

6 

41 

Italy,       . 

307 

118 

2 

27 

8 

131 

4 

3 

13 

1 

Norway, 
Portugal, 

4 
17 

5 

: 

1 

1 
4 

2 
7 

: 

- 

Russia,   . 

33 

_ 

_ 

_ 

_ 

32 

_ 

1 

_ 

_ 

Russia  (Poland), 
Scotland, 

11 
24 

- 

4 

8 

5 

2 

2 
3 

1 

- 

9 
1 

Sweden, 

20 

_ 

5 

4 

4 

1 

2 

2 

_ 

2 

Syria,      . 

13 

_ 

10 

1 

2 

_ 

Other  foreign  countries 

9 

_ 

1 

3 

2 

1 

1 

_ 

_ 

1 

Nativity  Not  Reported. 

446 

4 

27 

9 

27 

285 

u 

22 

20 

S7 

Natives  of  Italy  and  Ireland  make  up  the  largest  numbers  among 
the  home  workers  of  foreign  descent,  as  among  those  of  foreign  birth,  but 
in  this  case  the  Irish  are  in  the  lead.  This  order  clearly  reflects  the  char- 
acter of  the  older  immigration,  and  represents  the  days  before  the  immi- 
grants from  Northern  Europe  were  outnumbered  by  the  Southeast  Euro- 
peans. Germany  and  France,  other  elements  of  the  older  immigration, 
are  also  represented  in  this  table  by  slightly  larger  numbers  than  in  the 
table  showing  the  nativity  of  the  workers  themselves. 

6.    PREVIOUS  OCCUPATION  AND  TRAINING. 

The  following  tables  show  the  number  of  home  workers,  by  sex,  in  the 
various  industries  who  were,  prior  to  beginning  home  work,  employed  in 
the  specified  groups  of  occupations. 


ANALYSIS    OF    CONDITIONS 


37 


TABLE  13.  —  Previous  Occupations  of  MALE  Home  Workers  16  Years  of  Age  and 

Over:  By  Industries. 


Total 

NUMBER  PREVIOUSLY  EMPLOYED  IN  — 

Num- 

Mil — 

Num- 

ber 

iNum- 

L  __ 

INDUSTRIES. 

ber  of 
Male 
Home 
Work- 
ers 
16  and 
Over 

Factory 
in  the 
In- 
dustry 

Other 
Man- 
ufac- 
turing 

Trade 
and 
Trans- 
porta- 
tion 

Do- 
mestic 
and 
Per- 
sonal 
Service 

La- 
borers 

Build- 
Trades 

not  Re- 
porting 
as  to 
pre- 
vious 
Occu- 
pation 

ber 
having 
no 
pre- 
vious 
Occu- 
pation 

All  Industries. 

154 

39 

48 

18 

1 

9 

7 

7 

25 

Wearing  Apparel. 

28 

18 

3 

1 

_ 

J 

1 

f 

1 

Clothing,  men's  —  coats  and  pants, 

I 

- 

- 

- 

- 

1 

- 

- 

- 

Clothing,  men's  —  shirts  and  pa- 

jamas,        .        .        . 

2 

_ 

2 

_ 

_ 

— 

_ 

_ 

_ 

Garters,  suspenders,  and  elastic 

woven  goods  

2 

_ 

— 

1 

— 

— 

1 

_ 

- 

Neckwear,  dress  trimmings,  and 

buttons,      .        .        . 

1 

— 

_ 

— 

— 

— 

— 

_ 

1 

Shoes  and  shoe  trimmings,  . 
Other  wearing  apparel, 

21 
1 

18 

1 

_ 

- 

1 

- 

2 

_ 

Celluloid  Goods. 

1 

_ 

1 

_ 

_ 

_ 

_ 

_ 

M 

Jewelry  and  Silverware. 

9 

7 

1 

1 

_ 

_ 

. 

_ 

_ 

Paper  Goods. 

98 

14 

39 

12 

1 

7 

4 

_ 

SI 

Sporting  Goods. 

12 

2 

4 

_ 

I 

4 

- 

Other  Industries. 

6 

- 

2 

- 

- 

- 

1 

s 

TABLE  14.  —  Previous  Occupations  of  FEMALE  Home  Workers  16  Years  of  Age 

and  Over:  By  Industries. 


Total 
Num- 

NUMBER PREVIOUSLY  EMPLOYED  IN  — 

Num- 
ber 

Num- 
•  ___ 

INDUSTRIES. 

ber  of 
Female 
Home 
Work- 
ers 
16  and 
Over 

Factory 
in  the 
In- 
dustry 

Other 
Man- 
ufac- 
turing 

Agri- 
cultural 
Pur- 
suits 

Trade 
and 
Trans- 
porta- 
tion 

Do- 
mestic 
and 
Per- 
sonal 
Service 

Profes- 
sional 
Service 

House- 
wives 

not  Re- 
porting 
as  to 
pre- 
vious 
Occu- 
pation 

ber 
having 
no 
pre- 
vious 
Occu- 
pation 

All  Industries. 

1,653 

297 

324 

6 

65 

121 

32 

445 

12 

351 

Wearing  Apparel. 

708 

185 

184 

1 

32 

S2 

17 

234 

8 

1S6 

Clothing,     men's—  coats 

and  pants, 

119 

38 

17 

_ 

_ 

3 

_ 

56 

4 

I 

Clothing,     men's—  shirts 

and  pajamas, 

40 

14 

7 

_ 

2 

1 

1 

8 

3 

4 

Clothing,  women's  —  ma- 

chine-made, . 

23 

_ 

11 

_ 

1 

_ 

1 

4 

1 

5 

Clothing,     women's  — 

hand-  work,    . 

76 

1 

14 

1 

6 

11 

4 

30 

_ 

9 

Garters,  suspenders,  and 
elastic  woven  goods,      . 

23 

1 

4 

1 

5 

11 

Hosiery  and  machine-knit 

goods  

156 

15 

27 

_ 

4 

4 

1 

67 

— 

38 

Neckwear,     dress     trim- 

mings, and  buttons,     . 

75 

2 

29 

_ 

6 

3 

2 

13 

_ 

20 

Shoes  and  shoe  trimmings, 

173 

54 

8 

- 

12 

4 

7 

52 

- 

36 

Other  wearing  apparel,    . 
Celluloid  Goods. 

23 
66 

10 
16 

7 
11 

1 

4 

• 

1 
1 

3 

5 

- 

1 
26 

Jewelry  and  Silverware. 

208 

73 

44 

1 

7 

9 

6 

24 

3 

41 

Paper  Goods. 

383 

41 

66 

2 

9 

43 

3 

141 

88 

Sporting  Goods. 

155 

2 

51 

1 

7 

£6 

3 

IS 

1 

51 

Other  Industrie*. 

133 

30 

38 

6 

9 

£ 

28 

20 

A  considerable  number  of  home  workers  were  formerly  employed  in 
factories  in  the  same  industry  in  which  they  now  do  home  work;  336 


38 


HOME    WORK    IN    MASSACHUSETTS 


such  workers,  or  34.7  per  cent,  and  372  persons  who  were  previously 
employed  in  other  manufacturing  concerns,  or  38.5  per  cent,  were  found 
among  967  home  workers  who  reported  having  had  a  previous  gainful 
occupation.  There  were  121  women,  or  12.5  per  cent,  who  were  formerly 
engaged  in  domestic  or  personal  service.  Thirty-two  women,  most  of 
whom  have  been  teachers,  are  classed  under  "  Professional  Service."  Only 
six  persons,  all  women,  were  formerly  engaged  in  agricultural  occupations. 
Thirty-nine  of  the  122  male  home  workers  who  reported  having  had  a 
previous  occupation  had  worked  in  factories  in  the  same  industry.  There 
were  821  persons,  including  only  25  males,  who  had  had  no  previous  gain- 
ful occupation.  The  proportions  are  approximately  the  same  among  the 
various  industries. 

The  following  table  shows  the  number  of  home  workers  in  the  various 
industries  who  received  training,  either  from  employers  or  from  other 
persons,  the  number  who  received  their  training  from  previous  employ- 
ment in  factory  work,  and  the  number  who  reported  that  no  training  was 
necessary  for  the  kind  of  work  which  they  were  doing. 


TABLE  15.  —  Training  Received  by  Home  Workers:  By  Industries. 


Total 

XT,.-,,,  K-,. 

NUMBER  OF  WORKERS  WHO 
RECEIVED  TRAINING  — 

Number 
report- 

Number 
not  re- 

INDUSTRIES. 

IS  umber 
of 
Home 
Workers 

FREE 

From 
Previous 
Work  in 

ing  no 
Training 
Neces- 

porting 
as  to 
Training 
Re- 

From 

From 

Employer 

Others 

Factory 

sary 

ceived 

All  Industrie!. 

2,409 

364 

674 

147 

1,037 

187 

Wearing  Apparel. 

1796 

166 

1353 

76 

70 

101 

Clothing,  men's  —  coats  and  pants,  . 

129 

4 

81 

23 

2 

19 

Clothing,  men's  —  shirts  and  pajamas, 

44 

8 

21 

2 

1 

12 

Clothing,  women's—  machine-made, 

26 

2 

11 

1 

10 

2 

Clothing,  women's  —  hand-work, 

76 

2 

51 

1 

12 

10 

Garters,  suspenders,  and  elastic  woven  goods, 

51 

12 

24 

15 

- 

Hosiery  and  machine-knit  goods, 
Neckwear,  dress  trimmings,  and  buttons 

160 
79 

17 

28 

112 
25 

8 
9 

4 

8 

19 
9 

Shoes  and  shoe  trimmings, 
Other  wearing  apparel, 
Celluloid  Goods. 

207 
24 
96 

88 
5 
15 

53 
5 

4§ 

25 
7 
16 

14 
4 

18 

27 
3 

5 

Jewelry  and  Silverware. 

*87S 

»4 

*143 

37 

64 

15 

Paper  Goods. 

*912 

40 

*17 

6 

8S7 

IS 

Sporting  Goods. 

173 

98 

45 

1 

3 

26 

Other  Industries. 

169 

$1 

44 

11 

65 

£8 

1  Includes  three  workers  who  paid  others  for  their  training. 

*  Includes  two  workers  who  paid  others  for  training. 

•  Includes  one  worker  who  paid  others  for  training. 

The  ease  with  which  the  ordinary  kinds  of  home  work  are  learned,  and 
the  simplicity  of  the  processes  involved  are  indicated  by  the  fact  that  only 
six  persons  out  of  2,222  who  reported  as  to  previous  training  received 
any  kind  of  paid  instruction.  Nearly  one-half,  or  46.7  per  cent,  of  the 
home  workers  received  free  training  from  employers  before  the  work  was 


ANALYSIS   OF   CONDITIONS  39 

taken  from  the  factory,  or  from  members  of  their  families,  friends,  or 
neighbors,  who  were  often  home  workers  themselves.  One  thousand  and 
thirty-seven  workers,  or  46.7  per  cent,  reported  "  no  training  necessary"; 
the  members  of  this  group  had  no  training  for  home  work  aside  from  be- 
ing shown  a  sample  or  having  the  process  demonstrated  by  a  forewoman  or 
contractor.  One  hundred  and  forty-seven  persons  learned  how  to  perform 
the  home  work  process  while  they  were  factory  workers.  Training  of 
one  kind  or  another  was  given  the  majority  of  the  workers  in  each  of 
the  five  principal  industries  except  Paper  Goods,  where  many  of  the  proc- 
esses are  extremely  simple.  In  this  industry  93  per  cent  of  the  workers 
had  no  training  before  taking  up  the  work. 

7.    YEARLY  EARNINGS. 

The  following  tables  show  the  earnings,  for  the  year  preceding  the 
date  on  which  the  pay-rolls  were  obtained,  of  715  individual  home  workers 
and  of  363  of  this  number  whose  payments  from  the  factory  extended 
nine  months  or  more  of  the  year  for  which  information  was  secured.1 
Table  16  shows  the  classified  annual  earnings  for  all  individual  workers 
for  whom  pay-rolls  were  obtainable  and  also  the  classified  annual  earnings 
of  those  who  received  payments  for  nine  months  or  more  out  of  the  year. 
Table  16 A  shows  the  data  by  cumulative  percentages.  The  second  part 
of  these  tables  is  presented  in  order  to  indicate  the  extent  to  which  non- 
employment  is  a  factor  in  relation  to  average  earnings. 

Comparison  of  the  following  tables  shows  that  the  earnings  of  the 
nine-months  class  were  considerably  higher  than  the  general  average  for 
all  workers.  The  difference  in  earnings  becomes  more  apparent  in  the 
higher  wage  groups  where  39  of  the  42  persons  who  received  $200  or  more 
for  the  year  are  found  to  be  in  the  group  of  steady  workers.  These  tables 
bring  out  the  strongest  objection  to  home  work,  which  is  based  on  the  low 
maximum  earnings.  It  has  been  argued  that  even  the  greatest  industry 
and  diligence  can  not  raise  the  earnings  above  a  level  insufficient  to  main- 
tain existence.  If  the  wages  shown  in  the  present  study  are  typical  of 
those  paid  for  home  work  in  general  throughout  the  Commonwealth,  — 
as  there  seems  to  be  good  reason  to  believe,  —  we  can  be  certain  that  only 
in  the  rarest  cases  does  home  work  bring  in  a  living  wage. 

»  Pay-rolls  were  obtained  also  for  379  "group  workers."  The  groups,  including  from  two  to  nine  workers, 
were  represented  by  single  names  on  the  manufacturers'  pay-rolls.  They  were  not  included  in  tables  as  the 
individual  earnings  could  not  be  determined. 


40 


HOME   WORK   IN   MASSACHUSETTS 


TABLE  16.  —  Number  of  Individual  Home  Workers  Earning  each  Classified  Amount  a 

Year:  By  Industries. 

All  Individual  Home  Workers. 


Total 
Num- 

Num- 
ber 

NUMBER  OF  INDIVIDUAL  HOME  WORKERS  EARNING 
EACH  CLASSIFIED  AMOUNT  A  YEAR 

ber  of 

Re- 

INDUSTRIES. 

Indi- 
vidual 
Work- 
ers 

port- 
ing 
Earn- 
ings 

Less 
than 
*25 

$25 
to 
$49.99 

$50 
to 

$99.99 

$100 
to 
$149.99 

$150 
to 
$199.99 

$200 
to 
$249.99 

$250 
to 
$299.99 

$300 
and 
over 

All  Industries. 

996 

715 

208 

145 

196 

83 

41 

14 

12 

16 

Wearing  Apparel. 

630 

842 

95 

66 

85 

46 

23 

9 

7 

12 

Clothing,  men's  —  coats  and  pants, 

92 

18 

6 

3 

5 

1 

2 

1 

Clothing,   men's  —  shirts  and    pa- 

jamas,     
Clothing,     women's—  machine- 

32 

30 

1 

4 

11 

2 

5 

3 

1 

3 

made,     

10 

7 

4 

— 

2 

_ 

1 

_ 

_ 

_ 

Clothing,  women's  —  hand-work,     . 

72 

7 

1 

1 

1 

2 

1 

_ 

1 

_ 

Garters,    suspenders,    and    elastic 

woven  goods, 

6 

5 

5 

_ 

_ 

_ 

_ 

_ 

_ 

_ 

Hosiery  and  machine-knit  goods,    . 

115 

95 

20 

18 

40 

16 

1 

- 

- 

- 

Neckwear,    dress    trimmings,    and 

buttons,         

49 

37 

15 

9 

5 

3 

2 

1 

_ 

2 

Shoes  and  shoe  trimmings,     . 

132 

126 

37 

28 

15 

19 

13 

3 

4 

7 

Other  wearing  apparel,     . 
Celluloid  Goods. 

22 
S6 

17 
36 

6 
18 

2 
9 

6 

4 

3 

1 

2 

1 

Jewelry  and  Silverware. 

163 

111 

55 

18 

IBS 

9 

S 

2 

S 

3 

Paper  Goods. 

78 

62 

18 

IS 

11 

9 

7 

2 

1 

1 

Sporting  Goods. 

105 

102 

16 

26 

48 

12 

1 

_ 

1 

Other  Industries. 

94 

62 

7 

20 

25 

6 

6 

- 

- 

Individual  Home  Workers  Employed  for  Nine  Months  or  Over. 


All  Industries. 

_ 

S63 

15 

59 

142 

69 

39 

13 

11 

15 

Wearing  Apparel. 

_ 

167 

6 

21 

63 

37 

23 

8 

7 

12 

Clothing,  men's  —  coats  and  pants, 

- 

8 

- 

1 

3 

1 

- 

2 

1 

Clothing,  men's  —  shirts   and    pa- 

jamas,     

m 

25 

_ 

1 

10 

2 

5 

3 

1 

3 

Clothing,      women's  —  machine- 

made,     

— 

2 

_ 

_ 

1 

_ 

1 

_ 

_ 

_ 

Clothing,  women's  —  hand-work,    . 

- 

5 

- 

- 

1 

2 

1 

- 

1 

_ 

Garters,    suspenders,    and    elastic 

woven  goods,         .... 
Hosiery  and  machine-knit  goods,  . 

~ 

61 

5 

11 

30 

14 

1 

~ 

_ 

— 

Neckwear,    dress    trimmings,  and 

buttons,         

— 

11 

— 

2 

2 

3 

2 

— 

_ 

2 

Shoes  and  shoe  trimmings, 
Other  wearing  apparel,     . 

— 

54 

1 

5 
1 

6 

15 

13 

3 

4 

7 

Celluloid  Goods. 

_ 

9 

_ 

2 

2 

1 

f 

1 

_ 

_ 

Jewelry  and  Silverware. 

- 

S6 

1 

4 

17 

6 

1 

f 

I 

2 

Paper  Goods. 

_ 

34 

1 

8 

7 

7 

7 

| 

/ 

1 

Sporting  Goods. 

- 

81 

7 

17 

43 

IS 

1 

- 

1 

Other  Industries. 

"- 

37 

m 

7 

20 

6 

6 

-* 

~ 

m 

ANALYSIS   OF    CONDITIONS 


41 


TABLE  16A.  —  Percentage  of  Individual  Home  Workers  Earning  less  than  Specified 

Amount  a  Year:  By  Industries. 

All  Individual  Home  Workers. 


Total 

Num- 

PERCENTAGE OP  INDIVIDUAL  HOME  WORKERS 

Num- 

ber 

EARNING  A  YEAR  — 

ber  of 

Re- 

INDUSTRIES. 

Indi- 

port- 

vidual 

ing 

Less 

Less 

Less 

Less 

Less 

Less 

Less 

Less 

Work- 

Earn- 

than 

than 

than 

than 

than 

than 

than 

than 

ers 

ings 

$25 

$50 

$100 

$150 

$200 

$250 

$300 

$350 

All  Industries. 

996 

715 

29.1 

49.4 

76.8 

88.4 

94.1 

96.1 

97.8 

99.0 

Wearing  Apparel. 

630 

342 

27.8 

46.8 

71.6 

85.1 

91.8 

94.4 

96  6 

98  2 

Clothing,  men's  —  coats  and  pants, 

92 

18 

33.3 

50.0 

77.8 

83.3 

83.3 

94.4 

100.0 

100.0 

Clothing,   men's  —  shirts   and   pa- 

jamas,     

32 

30 

3.3 

16.7 

53.3 

60.0 

76.7 

86.7 

90.0 

96.7 

Clothing,     women's  —  machine- 

made,     

10 

7 

57.1 

57.1 

85.7 

85  7 

100  0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

Clothing,  women's  —  hand-work,   . 

72 

7 

14.3 

28.6 

42.9 

71.4 

85.7 

85.7 

100.0 

100.0 

Garters,    suspenders,    and    elastic 

woven  goods,         .... 

6 

5 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

Hosiery  and  machine-knit  goods,  . 

115 

95 

21.1 

40.0 

82.1 

98.9 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

Neckwear,    dress    trimmings,    and 

buttons,          .        .        . 

49 

37 

40.5 

64.9 

78.4 

86.5 

91.9 

94.6 

94.6 

100.0 

Shoes  and  shoe  trimmings, 

132 

126 

29.4 

51.6 

63.5 

78.6 

88.9 

91.3 

94.4 

96.0 

Other  wearing  apparel,     . 

22 

17 

35.3 

47.1 

82.4 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

Celluloid  Goods. 

36 

36 

60.0 

75.0 

86.1 

91.7 

97.2 

100.0 

100.0 

1000 

Jewelry  and  Silverware. 

153 

111 

49.5 

61.3 

82.0 

90  1 

92.8 

97.3 

99.1 

Paper  Goods. 

78 

62 

29.0 

600 

67.7 

82.3 

93  6 

96  8 

98.4 

1000 

Sporting  Goods. 

106 

102 

14,7 

39.  S 

86.3 

98.0 

99.0 

99.0 

100.0 

100.0 

Other  Industries. 

94 

62 

11.3 

43.5 

83.8 

91.9 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

1000 

Individual  Home  Workers  Employed  Nine  Months  or  Over. 


All  Industries. 

_ 

363 

4.1 

20.4 

59.5 

78.5 

89.3 

92.8 

95.9 

98.1 

Wearing  Apparel. 

_ 

167 

3.6 

16.2 

47.9 

70  .1 

83.8 

88  .6 

92.8 

96  4 

Clothing,  men's  —  coats  and  pants, 

- 

8 

12.5 

50.0 

62.5 

62.5 

87.5 

100.0 

100.0 

Clothing,  men's  —  shirts    and    pa- 

jamas,     

_ 

25 

_ 

4.0 

44.0 

52.0 

72.0 

84.0 

88.0 

96.0 

Clothing,     women's  —  machine- 

made  

_ 

2 

_ 

_ 

50.0 

50.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100  0 

Clothing,  women's  —  hand-work,  . 

_ 

5 

_ 

_ 

20.0 

60.0 

80.0 

80.0 

100.0 

looio 

Garters,    suspenders,    and    elastic 
woven  goods,         .... 

Hosiery  and  machine-knit  goods,  . 

_ 

61 

8.2 

26.2 

75?4 

98.4 

100.0 

looTo 

100.0 

100.0 

Neckwear,    dress    trimmings,    and 

buttons,         

_ 

11 

_ 

18.2 

36.4 

63.6 

81.8 

81.8 

81.8 

100.0 

Shoes  and  shoe  trimmings, 

_ 

54 

1.9 

11.1 

22  2 

50.0 

74.1 

79  6 

87  0 

90.7 

Other  wearing  apparel,     . 
Celluloid  Goods. 

: 

1 
9 

100  0 

22  2 

100.0 
44.4 

100.0 
66.7 

100.0 
88.9 

100.0 
100.0 

100.0 
100.0 

100.0 
100.0 

Jewelry  and  Silverware. 

_ 

35 

2.9 

14.3 

62.9 

80.0 

82.9 

88.6 

94.3 

97.1 

Paper  Goods. 

_ 

34 

2.9 

26  5 

47.1 

67  6 

88  2 

94.1 

97.1 

100.0 

Sporting  Goods. 

- 

81 

8.6 

29.6 

82.7 

97.6 

98.8 

98.8 

100.0 

1000 

Other  Industries. 

- 

37 

— 

18.9 

73.0 

86  6 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

8.    EXTENT  OF  NON-EMPLOYMENT. 

Closely  related  to  earnings  and  indicative  of  their  real  significance 
for  the  worker  is  the  duration  or  regularity  of  employment.  The  follow- 
ing table  shows  the  number  of  families  earning  specified  amounts  who 
were  employed  12  months  of  the  year  preceding  the  date  on  which  pay- 
rolls were  obtained,  the  number  who  were  without  employment  for  speci- 
fied periods,  and  the  number  who  began  home  work  less  than  one  year 
prior  to  the  dates  on  which  pay-rolls  were  obtained. 


42 


HOME   WORK    IN    MASSACHUSETTS 


TABLE  17.  —  Annual  Earnings  and  Duration  of  Non-employment  for  Families  of  Home 

Workers  in  All  Industries. 


NUMBER  NOT  EMPLOYED  — 

Number 
who 

TntAl 

Number 

started 

ANNUAL  EARNINGS  FBOM 
HOME  WORK. 

i  o  tai 
Number 
of 

Families 

Em- 
ployed 
12 
Months 

Less 
than 
Three 
Mouths 

Three 
Months 
and  Less 
than 
Six 

Six 

Months 
and  Less 
than 
Nine 

Nine 
Months 
and  Less 
than  12 

Months 
not 
Stated 

Home 
Work 
after 
begin- 
ning of 
Year 

All  Families. 

1,450 

417 

192 

214 

228 

117 

92 

190 

Less  than  $25, 

305 

8 

18 

79 

70 

22 

100 

$25  and  less  than    $50,. 

223 

32 

30 

58 

61 

10 

32 

$50  and  less  than  $100,  . 

295 

127 

55 

64 

32 

1 

2 

14 

$100  and  less  than  $150,  . 

128 

77 

29 

13 

5 

2 

2 

1150  and  less  than  $200,  . 

68 

47 

14 

6 

_ 

$200  and  less  than  $250,  . 

22 

13 

6 

1 

_ 

_ 

_ 

2 

$250  and  less  than  $300,  . 

24 

20 

2 

1 

1 

_ 

_ 

$300  and  less  than  $350,  . 

13 

9 

2 

1 

_ 

_ 

1 

$350  and  less  than  $400,  . 

9 

6 

1 

2 

_ 

_ 

$400  and  less  than  $450,  . 

4 

3 

_ 

1 

_ 

_ 

_ 

_ 

$450  and  less  than  $500,  . 

_ 

« 

_ 

_ 

_ 

$500  and  over, 

3 

2 

_ 

1 

_ 

_ 

_ 

_ 

Earnings  not  reported,  . 

356 

73 

45 

49 

48 

36 

66 

39 

Conclusions  as  to  the  social  significance  attaching  to  the  extent  of  non- 
employment  should  not,  however,  be  drawn  too  hastily.  The  reasons  for 
non-employment,  the  time  spent  each  day  in  the  work,  the  other  resources 
of  the  families  concerned,  are  only  a  few  of  the  matters  which  may  prop- 
erly be  taken  into  account  before  a  verdict  is  pronounced  for  the  abolition 
of  the  system. 

A  conspicuous  feature  of  home  work  in  all  of  the  industries  studied  is 
the  irregularity  of  employment.  In  the  study  of  the  preceding  table  the 
difficulties  which  the  pay-rolls  for  home  workers  presented  should  be 
borne  in  mind.  In  some  cases,  data  for  the  full  year  were  unavailable, 
and  in  others  our  agents  could  not  be  sure  that  a  person  apparently  idle 
was  not  working  under  another  pay-roll  number,  or  perhaps  working  with 
a  group  of  persons  who  might  be  represented  by  a  second  person  on  the 
pay-roll  from  time  to  time.1  In  spite  of  the  insufficiency  of  the  pay-roll 
data,  however,  the  information  which  was  secured  concerning  non-employ- 
ment has  sufficient  corroboration  in  the  testimony  of  the  workers  to  demon- 
strate the  large  amount  of  idleness  which,  for  one  reason  or  another,  seems 
to  be  the  inevitable  concomitant  of  home  work.  The  preceding  table,  which 
was  compiled  from  the  pay-rolls,  shows  that  only  about  one-half  of  the 
workers  whose  records  were  available  worked  nine  months  or  more  out 
of  the  12. 

The  explanations  of  the  irregularity  of  employment,   as  they  were 


1  In  such  cases  the  schedules  relating  to  the  earnings  of  the  workers  were  discarded. 


ANALYSIS   OF   CONDITIONS 


43 


given  by  the  workers,  are  reflected  in  the  following  table  which  clearly 
shows  that  the  responsibility  lies  only  partly  with  the  industries  con- 
cerned and  that  the  preference  of  the  worker  is  a  factor  which  must  always 
be  taken  into  consideration.  The  table  shows  the  number  of  families  of 
home  workers  who  were  idle  for  the  specified  causes  for  the  specified 
periods. 

TABLE  18.  —  Extent  and  Causes  of  Non-employment  for  Families  of  Home  Workers  in 

All  Industries. 


NUMBER  NOT  EMPLOYED  — 

Number 
who 

Tntnl 

Number 

started 

CAUSES  OF  NON-EMPLOYMENT. 

1  Ot  111 

Number 
of 
Families 

Em- 
ployed 
12 
Months 

Less 
than 
Three 
Months 

Three 
Months 
and  Less 
than 
Six 

Six 
Months 
and  Less 
than 
Nine 

Nine 
Months 
and  Less 
than  12 

Months 
not 
Stated 

Home 
Work 
after 
begin- 
ning of 
Year 

All  Causes. 

1,450 

417 

192 

214 

228 

117 

92 

190 

Enforced   Idleness   due   to   an   In- 

dustrial Cause, 

431 

_ 

106 

123 

122 

62 

18 

_ 

Dull  season,         .... 

400 

_ 

102 

113 

111 

57 

17 

_ 

Other  employment,     . 

19 

- 

2 

4 

7 

5 

1 

- 

Strike, 

12 

_ 

2 

6 

4 

.. 

__ 

_ 

Illness,    

73 

_ 

17 

S3 

ft 

7 

6 

_ 

Voluntary  Idleness, 

124 

- 

23 

33 

36 

n 

8 

_ 

Change  of  Residence, 

6 

- 

_ 

1 

3 

i 

_ 

_ 

Started  Home  Work  after  beginning 

of  Year  

190 

_ 

. 

_ 

_ 

_ 

_ 

190 

Other  Causes,  

11 

_ 

4 

_ 

3 

4 

_ 

Employed  12  Months, 

417 

417 

_ 

_ 

- 

Causes  not  reported, 

199 

41 

34 

43 

19 

61 

~ 

Seasonal  fluctuations  in  the  home-work  trades  register  their  effects 
immediately  upon  the  employment  of  the  workers.  The  long  and  frequent 
periods  of  idleness  are  more  often  caused  by  dull  seasons  than  by  all  the 
other  causes  combined,  as  shown  by  the  large  number  of  workers  (400)  who 
were  absent  for  this  reason.  Only  about  one-fifth  (19.3  per  cent)  of  the 
workers  who  spoke  of  their  long  periods  of  idleness  were  out  of  work 
through  their  own  preference.  These  mentioned  such  reasons  as  the  fol- 
lowing :  "  I  had  a  quarrel  with  the  forelady  and  I  wouldn't  work  for  her 
any  longer  " ;  "  The  children  take  too  much  time  " ;  "I  can't  do  home 
work  "  ;  and  (t  You  get  tired  of  the  work  so  soon."  A  considerable  number, 
190,  had  been  at  work  only  a  few  months  at  the  time  of  the  investigator's 
visits,  and  consequently  reported  somewhat  extended  periods  of  idleness 
which  were  due  merely  to  their  late  entrance  into  the  trade.  Such  causes 
as  strikes  and  illness  appear  infrequently.  Only  one  person  was  idle  on 
account  of  the  revocation  of  a  license;  in  this  case  it  was  revoked  because 
she  had  persisted  in  working  on  articles  of  wearing  apparel  in  her  kitchen. 


44 


HOME   WORK   IN   MASSACHUSETTS 


9.    YEARLY  EARNINGS  IN  RELATION  TO  AGE  AND  EXPERIENCE. 

The  following  tables  show  the  earnings  by  age  groups,  for  the  year 
preceding  the  date  on  which  the  pay-rolls  were  obtained,  of  715  individual 
home  workers  and  of  363  of  this  number  whose  payments  from  the  factory 
extended  over  nine  months  or  more  in  the  year  for  which  information 
was  secured.1 

Table  19  shows  the  classified  annual  earnings  for  715  individual  home 
workers  for  whom  pay-rolls  were  obtainable,  and  also  the  classified  annual 
earnings  of  the  363  workers  who  received  payments  for  nine  months  or 
more  out  of  the  year.  Table  19 A  shows  the  data  by  cumulative  percent- 
ages. The  second  part  of  these  tables  is  presented  in  order  to  indicate 
the  extent  to  which  non-employment  is  a  factor  in  relation  to  average 
earnings. 


TABLE  19. 


Number  of  Individual  Home  Workers  Earning  each  Classified  Amount  a 
Year:  By  Age  Groups. 


All  Individual  Home  Workers. 


Total 

XTi«**n 

NUMBER  OF  INDIVIDUAL  HOME  WORKERS  EARNING 

Num- 
K^«*  nt 

j\um- 
ber  Re- 

EACH CLASSIFIED  AMOUNT  A  YEAR  — 

AGE  GROUPS. 

ber  ol 
Indi- 
vidual 

iv^-i 

port- 
ing 
Earn- 

Less 
than 

$25 
to 

$50 
to 

$100 
to 

$150 
to 

$200 
to 

$250 
to 

$300 
and 

Work- 
ers 

ings 

$25 

149.99 

199.99 

$149.99 

$199.99 

$249.99 

$299.99 

over 

All  Ages. 

996 

715 

208 

145 

196 

83 

41 

14 

12 

16 

Under  18  years, 

15 

13 

9 

2 

_ 

1 

_ 

1 

s. 

_ 

18  to  20  years, 

27 

19 

7 

3 

2 

5 

1 

1 

_ 

_ 

21  to  24  years, 

63 

36 

21 

4 

7 

3 

1 

_ 

_ 

_ 

25  to  29  years, 

128 

80 

28 

16 

17 

12 

4 

_ 

1 

2 

30  to  34  years, 

133 

86 

23 

17 

26 

8 

5 

2 

2 

3 

35  to  39  years, 

143 

106 

28 

27 

31 

13 

3 

1 

1 

2 

40  to  44  years, 

136 

100 

28 

18 

33 

12 

8 

1 

_ 

_ 

45  to  49  years, 

76 

63 

18 

13 

19 

7 

3 

1 

1 

1 

50  to  54  years, 

61 

49 

16 

11 

10 

4 

4 

2 

1 

1 

55  to  59  years, 

48 

38 

8 

4 

15 

4 

3 

2 

1 

1 

60  yeara  and  over,    . 

112 

91 

14 

22 

26 

9 

7 

3 

4 

6 

Age  not  reported, 

54 

34 

8 

8 

10 

5 

2 

- 

1 

- 

Individual  Home  Workers  Employed  for  Nine  Months  or  Over. 


All  Ages. 

_ 

36J 

15 

59 

142 

69 

39 

13 

11 

15 

Under  18  years 

_ 

2 

_ 

_ 

_ 

1 

.. 

1 

m 

_ 

18  to  20  years, 

- 

9 

- 

1 

2 

5 

1 

- 

- 

- 

21  to  24  years, 

_ 

10 

1 

3 

4 

2 

M 

— 

— 

— 

25  to  29  years, 

- 

32 

1 

5 

11 

9 

4 

- 

1 

1 

30  to  34  years, 

- 

44 

1 

5 

19 

7 

5 

2 

2 

3 

35  to  39  years, 

_ 

50 

4 

11 

18 

11 

2 

1 

1 

2 

40  to  44  years, 

- 

52 

2 

6 

24 

11 

8 

1 

- 

- 

45  to  49  years, 

_ 

31 

_ 

6 

14 

5 

3 

1 

1 

|« 

50  to  54  years, 

_ 

26 

3 

3 

9 

3 

4 

2 

1 

1 

55  to  59  years,  . 

_ 

28 

1 

3 

13 

4 

3 

2 

1 

1 

60  years  and  over, 

_ 

64 

2 

15 

20 

7 

7 

3 

4 

6 

Age  not  reported, 

~ 

15 

1 

8 

4 

2 

~ 

~ 

~ 

1  Pay-rolls  were  obtained  also  for  379  "group  workers."  The  groups,  including  from  two  to  nine  workers, 
were  represented  by  single  names  on  the  manufacturers'  pay-rolls.  They  were  not  included  in  the  tables  as  the 
individual  earnings  could  not  be  determined. 


ANALYSIS   OF   CONDITIONS 


45 


TABLE  19A.  —  Percentage  of  Individual  Home  Workers  Earning  less  than  Specified 

Amount  a  Year:  By  Age  Groups. 

All  Individual  Home  Workers. 


Total 

PERCENTAGE  OF  INDIVIDUAL  HOME  WORKERS 

Num- 
ber of 

Nuni- 
berRe- 

EARNING  A  YEAR  — 

AGE  GROUPS. 

Indi- 

port- 
ing 

Less 

Less 

Less 

Less 

Less 

Less 

Less 

Less 

vidual 

Earn- 

than 

than 

than 

than 

than 

than 

than 

than 

Work- 
ers 

ings 

$25 

$50 

$100 

$150 

$200 

$250 

$300 

$350 

All  Ages. 

996 

715 

29.1 

49.4 

76.8 

88.4 

94.1 

961 

97.8 

99.0 

Under  18  years 

15 

13 

69.2 

84.6 

84.6 

92.3 

92.3 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

18  to  20  years, 

27 

19 

36.8 

52.6 

63.2 

89.5 

94.7 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

21  to  24  years, 

63 

36 

58.3 

69.4 

88.9 

97  2 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

25  to  29  years, 

128 

80 

35.0 

55.0 

76.3 

91.3 

96.3 

96.3 

97.5 

100.0 

30  to  34  years, 

133 

86 

26.7 

46.5 

76.7 

86.0 

91.9 

94.2 

96.5 

98.8 

35  to  39  years, 

143 

106 

26.4 

51.9 

81.1 

93.4 

96.2 

97.2 

98.1 

99.1 

40  to  44  years, 

136 

100 

28.0 

46.0 

79.0 

91.0 

99.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

45  to  49  years, 

76 

63 

28.6 

49.2 

79.4 

90.5 

95.2 

96.8 

98.4 

100.0 

50  to  54  years, 

61 

49 

32.7 

55.1 

75.5 

83.7 

91.8 

95.9 

98.0 

100.0 

55  to  59  years, 

48 

38 

31.1 

31.6 

71.1 

81.6 

89.5 

94.7 

97.4 

100.0 

60  years  and  over, 

112 

91 

15.4 

39.6 

68.1 

78.0 

85.7 

89.0 

93.4 

94.5 

Age  not  reported  , 

54 

34 

23.5 

47.1 

76.5 

91.2 

97.1 

97.1 

100.0 

100.0 

Individual  Home  Workers  Employed  for  Nine  Months  or  Over. 


All  Ages. 

_ 

363 

4.1 

20.4 

59.5 

78.5 

89.3 

92.8 

95.9 

98.1 

Under  18  years 

_ 

2 

_ 

_ 

_ 

50.0 

50.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

18  to  20  years, 

- 

9 

_ 

11.1 

33.3 

88.9 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

21  to  24  years, 

_ 

10 

10.0 

40.0 

80.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

25  to  29  years, 

- 

32 

31.2 

18.8 

53.1 

81.3 

93.8 

93.8 

96.9 

100.0 

30  to  34  years, 

_ 

44 

2.3 

13.6 

56.8 

72.7 

84.1 

88.6 

93.2 

97.7 

35  to  39  years, 

- 

50 

8.0 

30.0 

66.0 

88.0 

92.0 

94.0 

96.0 

98.0 

40  to  44  years, 

_ 

52 

3.8 

15.4 

61.5 

82.7 

98.1 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

45  to  49  years, 

- 

31 

19  4 

64.5 

80.6 

90.3 

93.5 

96.8 

100.0 

50  to  54  years, 

_ 

26 

nTs 

23.1 

57.7 

69.2 

84.6 

92.3 

96.2 

100.0 

55  to  59  years, 

_ 

28 

3.6 

14.3 

60.7 

75.0 

85.7 

92.9 

96.4 

100.0 

60  years  and  over,    . 

_ 

64 

3.1 

26.6 

57.8 

68.8 

79.7 

84.4 

90.6 

92.2 

Age  not  reported,     . 

- 

15 

6.7 

60.0 

86.7 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

In  comparatively  unskilled  processes,  such  as  the  majority  of  those 
under  consideration  in  the  present  study,  the  effect  of  long  experience 
upon  the  individual's  earnings  is  not  so  marked  as  it  would  inevitably  be 
in  occupations  requiring  a  higher  degree  of  skill.  Thirty-three  per  cent 
of  the  workers  in  the  following  table  had  five  years'  experience  or  more, 
but  their  earnings,  although  in  general  higher  than  those  of  the  other 
groups,  show  no  marked  difference. 

It  is  probably  true  that  the  failure  of  long  experience  to  provide  large 
earnings  is  due  not  so  much  to  maladjustments  in  the  labor  situation  as 
to  the  character  of  the  work  itself  and  the  fact  that  the  families  in  which 
it  is  done  do  not  expect  it  to  furnish  a  complete  support. 


46 


HOME   WORK   IN   MASSACHUSETTS 


TABLE  20.  —  Years  of  Experience  and  Annual  Earnings  of  Individual  Home  Workers 

in  All  Industries. 


Total 

NUMBER  HAVING  EXPERIENCE  OP  — 

Number 

ANNUAL    EARNINGS    FROM 
HOME  WORK. 

Number 
of  In- 
dividual 
Home 
Workers 

Less 
than  One 
Year 

One 
Year  and 
Less 
than 
Five 

Five 
Years 
and 
Less  than 
Ten 

Ten 

Years 
and 
Less  than 
Twenty 

Twenty 
Years 
and 
Over 

not  re- 
porting 
Years  of 
Ex- 
perience 

All  Individual  Home  Workers. 

996 

154 

460 

171 

100 

36 

75 

Less  than  $25,     . 

208 

61 

88 

25 

14 

3 

17 

$25  and  less  than    $50, 

145 

21 

60 

35 

18 

2 

9 

$50  and  less  than  $100, 

196 

8 

95 

45 

24 

8 

16 

$100  and  less  than  $150, 

83 

42 

12 

16 

7 

5 

$150  and  less  than  $200, 

41 

_ 

19 

7 

12 

1 

2 

$200  and  less  than  $250, 

14 

2 

8 

2 

1 

1 

_ 

$250  and  less  than  $300, 

12 

2 

8 

2 

$300  and  less  than  $350, 

9 

1 

4 

4 

_ 

_ 

$350  and  less  than  $400, 

5 

1 

3 

1 

_ 

$400  and  less  than  $450, 

2 

_ 

_ 

2 

_ 

Earnings  not  reported, 

281 

60 

142 

30 

12 

13 

24 

10.  INCOME  FROM  OTHER  SOURCES. 

The  low  earnings  of  home  workers  and  the  large  extent  of  non-employ- 
ment have  been  shown  in  previous  tables.  It  is  important  in  connection 
with  these  facts  to  form  an  estimate  of  the  size  of  the  outside  incomes  of 
the  families  concerned,  in  order  to  determine  whether  home  work  is  the 
source  of  a  large  or  small  part  of  the  total  income.  The  following  table 
shows  the  number  of  families  with  annual  incomes  exclusive  of  home  work 
classified  by  the  annual  earnings  from  home  work. 

TABLE  21.  —  Annual  Earnings  of  Families  from  Home  Work  and  from  Other  Sources: 

All  Industries. 


NUMBER  HAVING  ANNUAL  INCOME  EXCLUSIVE  OP 

XTitwi 

Total 

HOME  WORK  OF  — 

Num- 

iNum- 
ber  de- 

ANNUAL EARNINGS 
FROM  HOME  WORK. 

Num- 
ber of 
Fam- 
ilies 

Under 
$50* 

$50 
and 
under 

$250 
and 
under 

$500 
and 
under 

$750 
and 
under 

$1,000 
and 
under 

$1,250 
and 

ber  not 
re- 
porting 
In- 

pendent 
on 
Home 
Work 

$250 

$500 

$750 

$1,000 

$1,250 

over 

come 

only 

Totals. 

1,450 

1 

41 

155 

299 

295 

16S 

177 

283 

36 

Under  $25, 

305 

_ 

3 

25 

65 

63 

38 

44 

67 

_ 

$25  and  under    $50, 

223 

_ 

6 

16 

45 

47 

36 

21 

51 

1 

$50  and  under  $100. 

295 

_ 

9 

22 

60 

74 

33 

45 

45 

7 

$100  and  under  $150, 

128 

_ 

2 

19 

26 

27 

15 

14 

22 

3 

$150  and  under  $200, 

68 

_ 

4 

7 

10 

16 

4 

11 

14 

2 

$200  and  under  $250, 

22 

_ 

3 

2 

2 

2 

3 

4 

4 

2 

$250  and  under  $300, 

24 

1 

2 

_ 

3 

3 

1 

5 

4 

5 

$300  and  under  $350, 

13 

_ 

_ 

3 

_ 

_ 

2 

4 

4 

$350  and  under  $400, 

9 

_ 

1 

1 

1 

1 

- 

2 

3 

$400  and  under  $450, 

4 

_ 

_ 

_ 

2 

_ 

_ 

_ 

1 

1 

$500  and  over, 

3 

_ 

_ 

_ 

I 

1 

_ 

_ 

_ 

1 

Earnings  not  reported, 

356 

- 

11 

63 

82 

61 

32 

31 

69 

7 

From  the  testimony  of  the  home  workers  who  were  personally  visited, 
it  was  possible  to  estimate  the  annual  incomes,  exclusive  of  home  work, 


ANALYSIS   OF   CONDITIONS 


47 


of  1,131  families.  In  each  case  the  workers  specified  the  income  of  the 
family  from  each  member,  giving  the  occupation  in  which  he  or  she  was 
engaged.  It  is  possible  that  the  incomes  were  placed  too  high  in  some 
cases,  as  the  agents  had  good  reason  to  believe  that  the  principal  wage- 
earners  in  several  families  were  subject  to  periods  of  non-employment 
which  the  persons  interviewed  were  disinclined  to  mention.  However, 
even  with  the  allowances  which  must  be  made  for  cases  of  this  kind,  the 
annual  incomes  of  the  majority  of  families  reach  a  fairly  high  level. 
More  than  one-half  (56.1  per  cent)  of  the  families  interviewed  reported  an 
income  (exclusive  of  home  work)  of  $750  or  more  a  year ;  and  in  the  case 
of  15.7  per  cent  of  the  whole  number  this  income  reached  $1,250  a  year, 
or  even  higher.  On  the  other  hand,  43.9  per  cent  had  an  annual  income 
outside  of  home  work  of  less  than  $750,  and  in  several  cases  the  supple- 
mentary earnings  from  home  work  were  also  so  low  that  it  is  difficult  to 
imagine  how  any  family  or  individual  could  manage  to  exist  on  so  small 
an  amount.  There  were  36  families  entirely  dependent  upon  home  work 
for  support.  It  is  noticeable  that  the  amount  of  home-work  earnings 
shows  no  constant  relation  to  the  size  of  the  family's  outside  income; 
evidently  we  can  not  assume  that  the  poor  family  gives  more  time  and 
effort  to  home  work  than  the  comfortably  situated  family.  The  really 
significant  feature  of  the  table  is  the  surprisingly  high  level  of  total  in- 
comes which  it  reveals. 

In  the  following  table  the  data  in  regard  to  the  sources  of  outside  in- 
comes are  brought  together  for  the  1,131  families  which  supplied  this  in- 
formation. 

TABLE  22.  —  Sources  of  Income  Exclusive  of  Home  Work  for  Families  in  All  Industries. 


SOURCES  OF  INCOME. 

Total 
Num- 
ber of 
Fam- 
ilies 

NUMBER  WITH  INCOME  EXCLUSIVE  or  HOME 
WORK  OF  — 

Num- 
ber 
De- 
pend- 
ent on 
Home 
Work 
only 

Less 
than 
150 

$50 
and 
less 
than 
$250 

$250 
and 
less 
than 
$500 

$500 
and 
less 
than 
$750 

$750 
and 
less 
than 
$1,000 

$1,000 
and 
less 
than 
$1,250 

$1,250 
and 
Over 

In- 
come 
not 
Stated 

All  Sources. 

Agriculture,      .... 
Boarders  and  lodgers, 
Building  trades,       .        . 
Domestic  and  personal  service, 
Laborers,  unskilled, 
Manufacturing  —  same  industry, 
Manufacturing  —  other  industries, 

1,450 

8 

63 
95 
80 
79 
157 
304 
67 
16 

22 
248 
275 
36 

1 

1 

41 

9 

2 
4 
1 
2 
15 

6 
2 

155 

12 
4 

12 
46 
10 
35 
6 
4 

4 
12 
10 

299 

1 
6 
19 
23 
19 
25 
89 
3 
1 

1 

68 
44 

295 

13 
27 
12 
5 
44 
76 

1 

1 
65 
51 

16S 

1 
1 

17 
9 
1 
20 
36 

3 

1 

32 
42 

177 

12 
16 
6 
3 
34 
26 
4 
3 

5 

28 
40 

283 

6 
9 
12 
16 

23 
40 
39 
4 

4 
41 

88 

36 
36 

Professional  service, 
Rent    or    income    from    property 
owned,           .... 
Trade  and  transportation, 
Source  not  reported, 
Dependent  on  home  work  only, 

1  Includes  pensions,  relief  from  city,  town,  societies,  etc.,  and  alimony. 


48 


HOME   WORK   IN   MASSACHUSETTS 


The  main  source  of  outside  income  in  the  families  of  home  workers  was 
the  factory.  Not  only  the  father  of  the  family,  but  the  children  who  have 
reached  the  age  of  14  seem  to  turn  to  factory  employment  as  an  occupa- 
tion which  requires  little  training  and  will  yield  a  regular  weekly  wage 
from  the  beginning. 

11.    HOURLY  EARNINGS.1 

The  percentage  of  home  workers  earning  less  than  specified  hourly 
amounts  in  each  of  the  home  work  industries  is  shown  in  the  table  which 
follows. 

TABLE  23.  —  Percentage  of  Home  Workers  Earning 


INDUSTRIES. 

Total 
Num- 
ber of 
Home 
Workers 

Num- 
ber who 
re- 
ported 
Hourly 
Earn- 
ings 

PERCENTAGES  OF  HOME 

Less 
than 
4 
cents 

Less 
than 
5 
cents 

Less 
than 
6 

cents 

Less 
than 
7 
cents 

Less 

than 
8 
cents 

I 

All  Industries. 

2,409 

1,067 

11.6 

22.5 

34.7 

46.4 

50.0 

2 

Wearing  Apparel. 

796 

4*4 

6.0 

19.6 

36.6 

49.5 

65.8 

3 

Clothing,  men's  —  coats  and  pants,  . 

129 

103 

1.9 

8.7 

31.1 

52.4 

58.3 

4 

Clothing,  men's—  shirts  and  pajamas,     . 

44 

18 

.       - 

- 

5.6 

16.7 

16.7 

5 

Clothing,  women's  —  machine-made, 

26 

10 

- 

20.0 

40.0 

40.0 

40.0 

6 

Clothing,  women's  —  hand-work, 

76 

24 

12.5 

16.7 

41.7 

41.7 

50.0 

7 

Garters,  suspenders,  and  elastic  woven  goods,. 

51 

20 

- 

20.0 

35.0 

40.0 

60.0 

8 

Hosiery  and  machine-knit  goods,     . 

160 

79 

12.7 

35.4 

57.0 

68.4 

72.2 

9 

Neckwear,  dress  trimmings,  and  buttons, 

79 

47 

4.3 

10.6 

25.5 

34.0 

38.3 

10 

Shoes  and  shoe  trimmings,        .... 

207 

118 

7.6 

27.1 

38.1 

51.7 

60.2 

11 

Other  wearing  apparel,      

24 

15 

- 

6.7 

20.0 

33.3 

33.3 

12 

Celluloid  Goods. 

96 

61 

- 

- 

2.0 

3.9 

6.9 

13 

Jewelry  and  Silverware. 

£73 

160 

4.4 

9.4 

19.4 

22.5 

15.6 

14 

Paper  Goods. 

918 

£22 

36.  0 

49.5 

59.0 

78.8 

79.3 

15 

Sporting  Goods. 

173 

ISO 

6.2 

17.7 

SO.O 

39.  2 

41.6 

16 

Other  Industries. 

159 

70 

4.3 

10.0 

12.9 

22.9 

25.7 

Hourly  earnings  for  all  industries  were  not  concentrated  around  any 
given  rate.  In  general,  however,  the  high  percentages  were  found  in  the 
lower  part  of  the  wage  scale;  50.0  per  cent  of  the  whole  number  earned 
less  than  eight  cents  an  hour.  The  percentages  receiving  less  than  eight 

1  The  hourly  earnings  were  computed  from  piece-rates  and  the  rate  of  work  for  individual  workers.  The  rate 
of  work  was  calculated  from  the  length  of  time  required  to  do  a  given  piece  of  work;  that  is,  it  takes  the  worker 
20  minutes  to  crochet  a  given  medallion,  her  rate  of  work  b  three  medallions  an  hour;  if  she  is  paid  eight  cents 
for  a  medallion,  her  hourly  earnings  are  then  estimated  as  24  cents. 


ANALYSIS   OF   CONDITIONS 


49 


cents  an  hour  in  the  five  principal  industries  were  as  follows:  Paper 
Goods,  79.3  per  cent;  Wearing  Apparel,  55.8  per  cent;  Sporting  Goods, 
41.5  per  cent;  Jewelry  and  Silverware,  25.6  per  cent;  and  Celluloid 
Goods,  5.9  per  cent. 

The  extremely  unskilled  and  simple  processes  on  Paper  Goods  bring 
the  low  rate  of  pay  indicated  in  the  table.  Work  on  jewelry,  on  the  other 
hand,  is  shown  as  a  comparatively  well-paid  occupation  on  account,  of  the 
large  number  of  chainmakers,  performing  a  difficult  and  well-paid  process, 
who  were  included  in  the  study.  The  rate  on  Celluloid  Goods  is  kept  high 

Less  than  Specified  Amounts  an  Hour:  By  Industries. 


WORKERS  EARNING  AN  HOUR  — 

Leas 
than 
9 
cents 

Less 
than 
10 
cents 

Less 
than 
11 
cents 

Less 
than 
12 
cents 

Less 
than 
13 
cents 

Less 
than 
14 
cents 

Less 
than 
15 
cents 

Less 
than 
16 
cents 

Less 
than 
17 

cents 

Less 
than 
18 
cents 

Less 
than 
19 
cents 

Less 
than 
20 
cents 

61.3 

65.5 

76.3 

77.7 

82.0 

84.8 

86.7 

91.8 

92.9 

93.8 

94.9 

95.5 

1 

65.0 

71.4 

77.6 

79.3 

83  .4 

85.0 

87.1 

90.8 

92.4 

92.9 

94.6 

95.4 

2 

71.8 

88.3 

90.3 

91.3 

95.1 

96.1 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

3 

16.7 

16.7 

50.0 

50.0 

55.6 

55.6 

61.1 

77.8 

77.8 

77.8 

77.8 

77.8 

4 

60.0 

60.0 

70.0 

70.0 

90.0 

90.0  ' 

90.0 

90.0 

90.0 

90.0 

100.0 

100.0 

5 

54.2 

54.2 

70.8 

70.8 

75.0 

79.2 

87.5 

95.8 

95.8 

95.8 

100.0 

100.0 

6 

90.0 

90.0 

90.0 

90.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

7 

75.9 

77.2 

81.0 

81.0 

82.3 

86.1 

87.3 

87.3 

93.7 

94.9 

97.5 

97.5 

8 

51.1 

55.3 

74.5 

78.7 

80.9 

83.0 

85.1 

89.4 

91.5 

91.5 

93.6 

93.6 

9 

65.3 

72.0 

72.9 

75.4 

80.5 

80.5 

80.5 

86.4 

87.3 

88.1 

89.8 

93.2 

10 

46.7 

46.7 

53.3 

60.0 

60.0 

66.7 

66.7 

80.0 

80.0 

80.0 

80.0 

80.0 

11 

11.8 

IS.  7 

47.1 

47.1 

66.7 

70.6 

74.5 

84.  S 

84.  S 

84.  S 

84.  S 

84.  S 

12 

SS.l 

38.8 

65.0 

58.8 

63.8 

67.6 

70.6 

85.0 

86.  S 

90.6 

92.6 

93.8 

13 

86.5 

88.  S 

91.0 

91.0 

93.7 

95.9 

95.9 

97.7 

97.7 

98.2 

99.1 

99.1 

14 

68.5 

69.2 

918.  S 

93.1 

93.1 

96.9 

96.9 

99.2 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

15 

45.7 

48.6 

61.4 

62.9 

68.6 

76.7 

81.4 

87.1 

88.6 

88.6 

88.6 

88.6 

16 

on  account  of  the  recent  development  of  the  industry,  and  the  fact  that  the 
work  is  done  principally  by  factory  employees,  working  at  home  after 
factory  hours,  who  demand  a  rate  of  pay  which  approaches  the  factory 
rate. 

The  large  number  of  foreign-born  home  workers  makes  desirable  an 
analysis  of  wage  data  by  nativity.  The  following  table  shows  the  per- 
centage of  home  workers  earning  less  than  the  specified  hourly  amounts 
classified  by  nativity. 


50 


HOME   WORK   IN   MASSACHUSETTS 


TABLE  24.  —  Percentage  of  Home  Workers  Earning 


XT.«_rt 

PERCENTAGES  OF  HOME 

Total 

INum- 
ber  who 

NATIVITY  or  HOME  WOUKEKS. 

Num- 
ber of 
Home 

re- 
ported 
Hourly 

Less 
than 

Less 

than 

Less 
than 

Less 
than 

Less 
than 

Workers 

Earn- 
ings 

4 
cents 

5 

cents 

6 
cents 

7 
cents 

8 
cents 

1 

Totals. 

2,409 

1,067 

11.6 

22.5 

S4.7 

46.4 

50.0 

2 

Native-born. 

1J1S 

694 

11.  3 

S3.  9 

S4.8 

44.  S 

47  .8 

3 

Native-born  of  native  father  

605 

363 

8.8 

18.7 

30.0 

39.7 

44.1 

4 

Native-born  of  foreign  father  

411 

214 

13.1 

30.4 

40.7 

50.0 

52.3 

5 

Native-born,  place  of  birth  of  father  unknown, 

97 

17 

41.2 

52.9 

64.7 

70.6 

70.6 

6 

Foreign-born. 

783 

443 

11.4 

20.  S 

S3  .6 

47.7 

61.7 

7 

Armenia,    

32 

19 

15.8 

31.6 

52.6 

73.7 

89.5 

8 

Canada  (French)  

112 

68 

8.9 

14.7 

22.1 

29.4 

33.8 

9 

Canada  (Other)  

100 

50 

8.0 

14.0 

22.0 

42.0 

44.0 

10 

England  

45 

27 

14.8 

22.2 

40.7 

44.4 

48.1 

11 

Germany,  

17 

11 

- 

18.2 

18.2 

27.3 

27.3 

12 

Ireland  

164 

85 

24.7 

31.8 

41.2 

55.3 

61.2 

13 

Italy  

212 

127 

5.5 

13.4 

33.9 

53.5 

57.5 

14 

Sweden  

18 

11 

9.1 

27.3 

36.4 

45.5 

45.5 

15 

Other  foreign  countries,     

83 

51 

9.8 

25.5 

39.2 

47.1 

47.1 

16 

Nativity  Not  Reported. 

513 

24 

£6.0 

29.2 

60.0 

76.0 

75.0 

It  appears  that  50  per  cent  of  all  the  home  workers  earned  less  than 
eight  cents  an  hour.  The  hourly  earnings  of  the  native-born  workers 
were  slightly  higher  than  those  of  the  foreign-horn,  since  more  than  one- 
half  (51.7  per  cent)  of  the  foreign-born  earned  less  than  eight  cents  an 
hour,  while  a  smaller  proportion  (47.8  per  cent)  of  the  native-born  earned 
less  than  eight  cents.  Among  the  foreign-born  the  Germans  earned  the 
highest  hourly  amounts  and  the  Italians,  Irish,  and  Armenians  the  lowest. 

12.    WOMEN  HOME  WORKERS  AND  DEPENDENTS. 

Table  25,  opposite,  shows  the  number  of  women  home  workers  16 
years  of  age  and  over  who  worked  as  individuals  and  who  contributed 
toward  the  support  of  the  family,  and  the  number  of  dependents  *  in  the 
family,  classified  by  the  annual  earnings  from  home  work  as  obtained 
from  pay-rolls. 


1  The  term  "dependent"  as  used  here  means  any  person  living  with  the  family  who  did  not  contribute 
toward  the  support  of  the  family. 


ANALYSIS   OF   CONDITIONS 

Less  than  Specified  Amounts  an  Hour:  By  Nativity. 


51 


WORKERS  EARNING  AN  HOUR  — 

Less 
than 
9 
cents 

Less 
than 
10 
cents 

Less 
than 
11 

cents 

Less 
than 
12 
cents 

Less 
than 
13 
cents 

Less 
than 
14 
cents 

Less 
than 
15 
cents 

Less 
than 
16 
cents 

Less 
than 
17 
cents 

Less 
than 
18 
cents 

Less 
than 
19 
cents 

Less 
than 
20 
cents 

61.3 

65.5 

76.3 

77.7 

82.0 

84.8 

86.7 

91.8 

92.9 

93.8 

94.9 

95.5 

1 

58.1 

60.8 

71.5 

72.7 

78.5 

81.5 

83.5 

90.6 

91.6 

92.9 

94.6 

95.5 

2 

55.9 

58.7 

70.2 

71.3 

76.6 

80.7 

82.6 

89.3 

90.4 

91.7 

94.2 

95.0 

3 

60.3 

63.1 

72.9 

74.3 

80.8 

81.8 

84.1 

92.1 

93.0 

94.4 

94.9 

95.8 

4 

76.5 

76.5 

82.4 

82.4 

88.2 

94.1 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

5 

64.6 

71.0 

82.4 

84.0 

86.4 

88.9 

90.6 

93.5 

94.7 

95.1 

95.1 

95.  S 

6 

89.5 

94.7 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

7 

50.0 

51.5 

72.1 

75.0 

79.4 

82.4 

82.4 

91.2 

91.2 

92.6 

92.6 

92.6 

8 

52.0 

56.0 

72.0 

72.0 

76.0 

82.0 

82.0 

84.0 

90.0 

90.0 

90.0 

90.0 

9 

51.9 

51.9 

63.0 

66.7 

70.4 

77.8 

81.5 

81.5 

81.5 

85.2 

85.2 

88.9 

10 

36.4 

45.5 

45.5 

54.5 

54.5 

54.5 

63.6 

63.6 

72.7 

72.7 

72.7 

72.7 

11 

76.5 

80.0 

92.9 

92.9 

94.1 

95.3 

96.5 

98.8 

98.8 

98.8 

98.8 

98.8 

12 

70.1 

83.5 

89.0 

89.8 

92.9 

93.7 

96.9 

98.4 

98.4 

98.4 

98.4 

98.4 

13 

54.5 

63.6 

72.7 

81.8 

81.8 

90.9 

90.9 

90.9 

90.9 

90.9 

90.9 

90.9 

14 

68.6 

74.5 

86.3 

88.2 

88.2 

90.2 

92.2 

96.1 

98.0 

98.0 

98.0 

98.0 

15 

79.  £ 

79  .2 

79.2 

8S.S 

87.5 

91.7 

91.7 

91.7 

91.7 

91.7 

100.0 

100.0 

16 

TABLE  25.  —  Women  Home  Workers  16  Years  of  Age  and  Over  and  Dependents. 


Total 
Number 

nf 

NUMBKR  HAVING  — 

Number 

ANNUAL  EARNINGS 
FROM  HOME  WORK. 

OI 

Women 
Home 
Workers 
16  and 
Over 

No 
Depend- 
ents 

One 
Depend- 
ent 

Two 
Depend- 
ents 

Three 
Depend- 
ents 

Four 
Depend- 
ents 

Five 
Depend- 
ents 

Six 
Depend- 
ents 
or  more 

not  re- 
porting 
Number 
of  De- 
pendents 

Totals. 

968 

362 

231 

173 

102 

47 

22 

23 

8 

Less  than  $25, 

203 

73 

45 

42 

17 

8 

10 

5 

3 

$25  and  less  than    $50, 

143 

59 

33 

12 

20 

10 

3 

5 

1 

$50  and  less  than  $100, 

196 

84 

42 

31 

20 

11 

3 

5 

$100  and  less  than  $150, 

81 

29 

25 

13 

9 

1 

1 

2 

i 

$150  and  less  than  $200, 

37 

14 

11 

7 

4 

1 

_ 

$200  and  less  than  $250, 

12 

7 

2 

3 

_ 

_ 

_ 

$250  and  less  than  $300, 

7 

5 

1 

__ 

1 

$300  and  leas  than  $350, 

7 

3 

3 

1 

_ 

_ 

_ 

$350  and  less  than  $400, 

2 

1 

1 

_ 

_ 

_ 

_ 

_ 

_ 

Earnings  not  reported, 

280 

87 

69 

64 

31 

16 

4 

6 

3 

Three  hundred  and  sixty-two,  or  37.7  per  cent  of  the  individual  women 
home  workers,  had  no  persons  dependent  upon  them,  a  proportion  which 


52 


HOME   WORK   IN   MASSACHUSETTS 


is  fairly  uniform  throughout  the  various  wage  groups  and  231,  or  24.1 
per  cent,  had  one  dependent  only.  From  this  point  the  numbers  steadily 
decreased  to  23  who  had  six  or  more  persons  dependent  upon  them.  The 
23  persons  with  six  or  more  dependents  and  the  22  persons  with  five  de- 
pendents, with  one  exception,  all  fall  within  the  four  lowest  wage  groups. 
Many  of  these  cases  are  those  of  mothers  with  large  families  of  young 
children  who  can  not  find  enough  free  time  for  home  work  to  bring  in 
large  earnings.  Evidently  it  is  the  woman  with  a  small  family  and  fewer 
domestic  responsibilities  who  is  able  to  secure  an  income  from  home  work. 

13.    CHARGES  ON  EARNINGS. 

The  low  rate  of  pay  for  home  work  is  reduced  still  further,  in  some 
cases,  by  the  necessity  of  paying  charges  for  equipment,  materials,  and 
transportation  to  and  from  the  shop  or  factory.  The  following  table  shows 
the  number  of  families  of  home  workers  in  the  various  industries  who 
paid  charges  for  equipment,  material,  transportation,  other  miscellaneous 
charges,  and  the  number  paying  no  charges. 

TABLE  26.  —  Families  of  Home  Workers  Paying  Charges:  By  Industries. 


NUMBER  FATING  CHARGES 

Total 

XT.*_r. 

FOR  — 

Num- 

L  __ 

Num- 
i  __ 

Num- 
ber 

INDUSTRIES. 

IN  um- 
ber of 
Fam- 
ilies 

Equip- 
ment 

Ma- 
terial 

Trans- 
por- 
tation 

Other 

ber 
paying 
two 
Charges 

ber 
paying 
no 
Charges 

not  re- 
porting 
as  to 
Charges 

All  Industries. 

1,450 

506 

12 

318 

19 

U25 

715 

9 

Wearing  Apparel. 

646 

269 

6 

205 

19 

»7ff 

220 

6 

Clothing,  men's  —  coats  and  pants,  . 

109 

85 

_ 

1 

_ 

_ 

22 

1 

Clothing,  men's  —  shirts  and  pajamas,     . 

36 

15 

_ 

15 

_ 

4 

9 

Clothing,  women's  —  machine-made, 
Clothing,  women's  —  hand-work. 
Garters,   suspenders,   and   elastic   woven 

17 

74 

1 
29 

2 

1 

9 
61 

18 

3 

»42 

8 
9 

- 

goods,       

21 

2 

_ 

2 

— 

_ 

17 

_ 

Hosiery  and  machine-knit  goods. 
Neckwear,  dress  trimmings,  and  buttons,  . 
Shoes  and  shoe  trimmings, 

136 
63 
166 

62 
75 

1 
2 

8 
53 
46 

1 

2 
1 
«24 

67 
10 
66 

1 
1 

Other  wearing  apparel,        .... 
Celluloid  Goods. 

23 

68 

IS 

- 

10 

S 

: 

: 

12 

43 

1 

Jewelry  and  Silverware. 

197 

158 

1 

12 

_ 

7 

33 

_ 

Paper  Goods. 

£96 

4 

1 

as 

_ 

1 

269. 

_ 

Sporting  Goods. 

137 

60 

39 

_ 

38 

76 

_ 

Other  Industries. 

117 

& 

4 

37 

• 

«3 

74 

4 

i  Includes  four  paying  three  charges. 

*  Includes  three  paying  three  charges. 

*  Includes  two  paying  three  charges. 
«  Includes  one  paying  three  charges. 

More  than  one-half  of  the  workers  paid  charges  of  one  kind  or  another. 
The  charges  are  most  general  among  the  jewelry  workers,  more  than  four- 
fifths  of  whom  incurred  some  expense  in  carrying  on  their  work,  usually 
an  expenditure  of  about  35  cents  for  pliers.  In  each  of  the  other  important 
industries,  with  the  exception  of  Men's  Coats  and  Pants,  Hosiery  and 


ANALYSIS   OF    CONDITIONS 


53 


Machine-knit  Goods,  and  Shoes  and  Shoe  Trimmings,  less  than  one- 
half  of  the  workers  paid  charges ;  in  Paper  Goods,  where  the  materials  are 
generally  inexpensive  and  tools  are  seldom  necessary,  the  workers  very 
rarely  pay  charges  of  any  kind.  In  general,  the  expenses  incurred  by  the 
workers  in  connection  with  their  work  may  be  said  to  be  of  very  little 
importance. 

14.    CHANGE  OF  EMPLOYMENT. 

The  following  table  shows  the  number  of  home  workers  employed  at 
home  work  by  more  than  one  manufacturer,  in  the  same  or  in  other 
industries,  for  the  specified  periods  during  the  year  preceding  the  date  the 
home  worker  was  interviewed. 

TABLE  27.  —  Change  of  Employment:  By  Industries. 


NUMBER  EMPLOYED  BY  OTHER 

Num- 

Total 

MANUFACTURERS 

ber  not 

INDXJSTKIES. 

Num- 
ber of 
Home 
Workers 

em- 
ployed 
by 
other 
Manu- 

Less 
than 

One 

Month 
and  less 

Three 
Months 
and  less 

Six 
Months 
and  less 

Nine 
Months 

M«l«J 

Num- 
ber of 
Months 

one 
Month 

than 
Three 

than 

Six 

than 
Nine 

and 
Over 

not  re- 
ported 

fac- 
turers 

All  Industries. 

2,409 

25 

39 

56 

12 

20 

71 

2,186 

Wearing  Apparel. 

796 

14 

15 

17 

4 

6 

41 

699 

Clothing,  men's  —  coats  and  pants,  . 

129 

I 

— 

_ 

_ 

5 

123 

Clothing,  men's  —  shirts  and  pajamas, 

44 

_ 

1 

1 

_ 

1 

2 

39 

Clothing,  women's  —  machine-made, 

26 

_ 

2 

1 

_ 

1 

22 

Clothing,  women's  —  hand-  work, 

76 

2 

1 

_ 

1 

6 

66 

Garters,   suspenders,   and   elastic   woven 

goods,        

51 

4 

3 

7 

2 

_ 

_ 

35 

Hosiery  and  machine-knit  goods, 

160 

5 

_ 

6 

149 

Neckwear,  dress  trimmings,  and  buttons, 

79 

2 

5 

2 

2 

3 

9 

56 

Shoes  and  shoe  trimmings. 

207 

_ 

2 

5 

_ 

1 

10 

189 

Other  wearing  apparel, 

24 

- 

2 

_ 

2 

20 

Celluloid  Goods. 

96 

3 

7 

14 

— 

_ 

6 

66 

Jewelry  and  Silverware. 

27S 

6 

10 

M 

4 

6 

9 

217 

Paper  Goods. 

912 

1 

6 

2 

904 

Sporting  Goods. 

17  S 

1 

4 

2 

S 

2 

6 

167 

Other  Industries. 

169 

1 

S 

1 

2 

1 

8 

143 

Workers  seldom  change  to  another  industry,  but  they  occasionally 
change  work  under  one  employer  for  work  of  the  same  general  kind  under 
another,  the  proportion  varying  greatly  in  the  different  industries.  The 
percentage  of  the  whole  number  of  workers  reporting  such  changes  is,  how- 
ever, very  small  —  less  than  10  per  cent.  Two  hundred  and  twenty-three 
workers  reported  some  change  of  employment,  and  152  gave  the  number 
of  months  which  they  had  spent  in  the  employ  of  other  manufacturers. 
Sixty-four  of  these  made  a  change  which  lasted  less  than  three  months. 
Smaller  numbers  had  other  employment  for  a  greater  length  of  time.  Such 
changes  may  or  may  not  mean  an  interval  of  non-employment,  but  in  any 
case  they  show  the  instability  of  the  ordinary  home  worker's  occupation. 

The  following  tables  show  the  number  of  male  and  female  home  work- 
ers 16  years  of  age  and  over  in  each  of  the  home-work  industries  who  had 


54 


HOME   WORK   IN   MASSACHUSETTS 


had  gainful  occupations  other  than  home  work  and  the  number  who  had 
had  no  other  gainful  occupations. 

TABLE  28.  —  FEMALE  Home  Workers  16   Years  of  Age  and  Over  having  Other 
Gainful  Occupation:  By  Industries. 


Total 

Num- 
L  __  ~f 

NUMBEB 

EMPLCH 

'ED  IN  — 

Num- 
ber not 

INDUSTBIES. 

oer  oi 
Female 
Home 
Work- 
ers 
16  and 
Over 

Factory 
in  the 
In- 
dustry 

Other 
Man- 
ufac- 
turing 

Agri- 
culture 

Trade 
and 
Trans- 
porta- 
tion 

Do- 
mestic 
and 
Per- 
sonal 
Service 

Profes- 
sional 
Service 

No 
other 
gainful 
Occu- 
pation 

re- 
porting 
as  to 
other 
gainful 
Occu- 
pation 

All  Industries. 

1,653 

90 

70 

7 

35 

71 

13 

1,364 

3 

Wearing  Apparel. 

708 

27 

23 

6 

11 

28 

9 

601 

S 

Clothing,  men's  —  coats  and  pants, 

119 

15 

8 

96 

Clothing,  men's  —  shirts  and  pa- 

jamas,          

40 

1 

2 

-. 

_ 

2 

pp 

33 

2 

Clothing,      women's  —  machine- 

made,          

23 

1 

2 

_ 

_ 

_ 

1 

18 

1 

Clothing,  women's  —  hand-work, 

76 

1 

_ 

2 

5 

1 

67 

Garters,  suspenders,  and  elastic 

woven  goods  

23 

1 

_ 

_ 

1 

1 

_ 

20 

_ 

Hosiery  and  machine-knit  goods, 

156 

2 

4 

3 

4 

4 

2 

137 

_ 

Neckwear,  dress  trimmings,  and 

buttons, 

75 

m 

5 

_ 

1 

8 

1 

60 

_ 

Shoes  and  shoe  trimmings,  . 

173 

6 

2 

_ 

2 

7 

3 

153 

_ 

Other  wearing  apparel, 
Celluloid  Goods. 

23 
66 

IS 

8 

3 

1 
f 

1 
4 

1 

17 
47 

- 

Jewelry  and  Silverware. 

SOS 

16 

2 

_ 

4 

4 

5 

179 

_ 

Paper  Goods. 

S8S 

£6 

S5 

_ 

11 

21 

290 

_ 

Sporting  Goods. 

155 

6 

1 

2 

10 

_ 

136 

_ 

Other  Industries. 

1SS 

8 

2 

6 

6 

1 

111 

— 

TABLE  29.  —  MALE  Home  Workers  16  Years  of  Age  and  Over  having  Other  Gainful 

Occupation:  By  Industries. 


Total 
Num- 

u  rt-  ~.t 

NUMBER  EMPLOYED  IN  — 

Num- 
ber not 

INDUSTBIES. 

ber  oi 
Male 
Home 
Work- 
ers 
16  and 
Over 

Factory 
in  the 
In- 
dustry 

Other 
Man- 
ufac- 
turing 

Trade 
and 
Trans- 
porta- 
tion 

Do- 
mestic 
and 
Per- 
sonal 
Service 

Un- 
skilled 
Labor 

Build- 

T&. 

No 
other 
gainful 
Occu- 
pation 

re- 
porting 
as  to 
other 
gainful 
Occu- 
pation 

All  Industries. 

154 

22 

47 

18 

1 

7 

4 

64 

1 

Wearing  Apparel. 
Clothing,  men's  —  coats  and  pants, 

28 
1 

: 

fl 

2 

— 

* 
1 

1 

21 

- 

Clothing,  men's  —  shirts  and  pa- 

jamas   

2 

_ 

2 

m 

•• 

« 

— 

— 

— 

Garters,  suspenders,  and  elastic 

woven  goods,      .... 

2 

_ 

- 

1 

- 

- 

1 

- 

- 

Neckwear,  dress  trimmings,  and 

buttons,      

1 

M 

m 

_ 

_ 

m 

—  . 

1 

— 

Shoes  and  shoe  trimmings,  . 

21 

- 

- 

1 

_ 

-. 

_ 

20 

- 

Other  wearing  apparel. 

1 

- 

- 

- 

- 

1 

- 

- 

- 

Celluloid  Goods. 

1 

_ 

1 

M 

.. 

M 

_ 

. 

_ 

Jewelry  and  Silverware. 

9 

6 

1 

_ 

_ 

_ 

_ 

S 

- 

Paper  Goods. 

98 

16 

S9 

12 

1 

5 

2 

2S 

— 

Sporting  Goods. 

12 

1 

2 

4 

- 

1 

4 

- 

Other  Industries. 

6 

~ 

2 

~ 

~ 

" 

S 

1 

Information  as  to  the  number  of  workers  16  years  of  age  and  over 
who  had  gainful  employment  aside  from  home  work  was  available  for 
153  men  and  1,650  women,  as  shown  in  the  foregoing  table.  Fifty-four 
men,  or  35.3  per  cent  of  the  male  home  workers,  and  1,364  women,  or  82.7 


ANALYSIS   OF    CONDITIONS 


55 


per  cent  of  the  female  workers,  had  no  other  gainful  employment.  As  has 
been  previously  mentioned,  home  work  is  seldom  a  man's  principal  occu- 
pation. The  male  workers  who  are  included  in  this  study  are,  in  most 
cases,  with  the  exception  of  the  hand  turn  shoe  workers,  merely  helpers,  — 
for  example,  factory  hands  who  spend  two  or  three  hours  each  evening  in 
the  family  task  of  stringing  tags.  Consequently,  only  a  small  proportion 
of  the  men  appear  in  this  table  under  the  heading  "  No  Other  Gainful 
Occupation."  It  is  the  housewives  with  irregular  hours  of  work  and  oc- 
casional periods  of  leisure  during  the  day  who  are  most  likely  to  become 
home  workers  and  who  make  up  almost  wholly  the  82.7  per  cent  of  women 
who  have  no  other  gainful  occupation. 

15.    RENT. 

The  table  following  shows  the  number  of  families  receiving  specified 
annual  incomes,  including  earnings  from  home  work,  living  in  houses 
owned  or  rented,  and  the  number  paying  annual  rents  of  specified  amounts. 

TABLE  30.  —  Families  of  Home  Workers  Living  in  Own  or   Rented   Houses,    with 

Relation  of  Rent  to  Income. 


NUMBER 
LIVING  IN  — 

NUMBER  PAYING  ANNUAL  RENT  OF  — 

Total 

ANNUAL  INCOME  IN- 

Num- 

$100 

$150 

$200 

$250 

CLUDING  HOME  WORK. 

ber  of 
Fam- 
ilies 

Own 
House 

Rented 
House 

Less 
than 
$100 

and 
less 
than 

and 
less 
than 

and 
less 
than 

and 
less 
than 

$300 
and 
Over 

Amount 
not  re- 
ported 

Rent 
Free 

$150 

$200 

$250 

$300 

Totals. 

1,450 

266 

1,184 

92 

267 

212 

105 

28 

19 

441 

20 

Less  than  $400,  . 

98 

23 

75 

11 

19 

11 

_ 

_ 

— 

31 

I 

$400  and  less  than     $500, 

46 

8 

38 

8 

16 

7 

3 

_ 

_ 

3 

1 

$500  and  less  than     $600, 

61 

10 

51 

10 

24 

11 

2 

_ 

_ 

4 

$600  and  less  than     $700, 

72 

10 

62 

14 

36 

3 

5 

1 

_ 

3 

_ 

$700  and  less  than     $800, 

111 

17 

94 

17 

39 

23 

10 

2 

3 

_ 

$800  and  less  than     $900, 

102 

26 

76 

5 

28 

25 

9 

5 

3 

1 

$900  and  less  than  $1,000, 

89 

19 

70 

5 

23 

24 

9 

3 

2 

2 

2 

$1,000  and  less  than  $1,250, 

143 

36 

107 

5 

26 

41 

16 

6 

2 

11 

$1,250  and  over. 
Income  not  reported, 

182 
546 

62 
55 

120 
491 

3 
14 

24 
32 

39 

28 

29 
22 

9 
4 

7 
6 

5 

376 

4 
9 

Although,  in  general,  the  families  of  home  workers  appeared  to  have 
a  fairly  secure  economic  status,  occasionally  facts  came  to  light  in  the 
course  of  the  inquiry  which  indicated  that  a  part  of  the  group  under  con- 
sideration had  a  low  standard  of  life.  About  one-half  (49.7  per  cent)  of 
the  families  giving  information  as  to  the  amount  paid  for  rent,  paid  less 
than  $150  annually,  or  about  $12  a  month,  —  surely  not  an  amount  in- 
dicating a  high  scale  of  expenditure.  On  the  other  hand,  a  few  families, 
47,  or  6.5  per  cent,  paid  $250  or  more  for  rent.  The  striking  fact,  espe- 
cially when  taken  in  connection  with  the  facts  just  given,  is  that  nearly 
one-fourth  (266,  or  18.3  per  cent)  of  the  families  owned  their  own  houses. 


56 


HOME   WORK   IN   MASSACHUSETTS 


16.    LIVING  CONDITIONS. 

The  following  table  shows  for  families  of  home  workers  in  each  in- 
dustry the  average  number  of  persons  per  room  and  the  number  of  home 
workers  living  in  families  in  which  there  was  an  average  of  less  than  one 
person  per  room,  one  but  less  than  two  persons  per  room,  two  but  less 
than  three  persons  per  room,  three  but  less  than  four  persons  per  room 
and  four  persons  and  over  per  room. 

TABLE  31.  —  Living  Conditions  of  Home  Workers:  By  Industries. 


Total 

XTi«*«« 

Average 

V  ,  ,  , 

NUMBER  OP  PERSONS  PER  ROOM 

INDUSTRIES. 

JN  um- 
ber of 
Home 
Work- 
ers 

IN  um- 
ber of 
Per- 
sons per 
Room 

Less 
than 
One 

One 
but  less 
than 
Two 

Two 
but  less 
than 
Three 

Three 

but  les- 
than 
Four 

Four 
and 
Over 

Not 
Re- 
ported 

All  Industries. 

2,409 

0.9 

1,012 

1,121 

194 

20 

1 

61 

Wearing  Apparel. 

796 

0.9 

399 

273 

93 

14 

/ 

16 

Clothing,  men's  —  coats  and  pants,    . 

129 

1.9 

3 

45 

69 

9 

3 

Clothing,  men's  —  shirts  and  pajamas, 

44 

0.7 

34 

10 

_ 

Clothing,  women's  —  machine-made, 

26 

0.8 

11 

9 

5 

_ 

_ 

1 

Clothing,  women's—  hand-work. 

76 

0.7 

46 

26 

3 

_ 

_ 

Garters,   suspenders,   and   elastic   woven 

goods,        .        .        .        . 

51 

1  2 

16 

35 

_ 

_ 

_ 

_ 

Hosiery  and  machine-knit  goods, 
Neckwear,  dress  trimmings,  and  buttons, 

160 
79 

0.8 
0  7 

101 
51 

52 
22 

6 
5 

- 

- 

1 

Shoes  and  shoe  trimmings, 

207 

0.7 

123 

64 

5 

5 

1 

9 

Other  wearing  apparel, 

24 

0  7 

14 

10 

_ 

_ 

.. 

_ 

Celluloid  Goods. 

96 

l'.4 

37 

49 

9 

_ 

_ 

1 

Jewelry  and  Silverware. 

£73 

09 

148 

103 

18 

_ 

_ 

10 

Paper  Goods. 

912 

1.0 

£49 

670 

70 

6 

_ 

18 

Sporting  Goods. 

173 

0.8 

104 

66 

5 

_ 

_ 

_ 

Other  Industries. 

169 

0.8 

76 

60 

7 

1 

- 

16 

Notwithstanding  the  good  living  conditions  which  prevailed  in  nearly 
all  of  the  homes  which  were  visited,  a  number  of  instances  of  overcrowd- 
ing were  discovered;  215  persons  were  living  in  families  with  two  or  more 
persons  to  a  room,  and  21  were  living  in  families  with  three  or  more  per- 
sons to  a  room.  All  but  two  of  the  more  serious  cases  of  overcrowding 
were  found  among  the  workers  employed  on  Wearing  Apparel,  viz.,  among 
the  Italians  at  work  on  men's  clothing  in  the  North  End  of  Boston.  The 
situation  in  the  North  End  is  receiving  an  increasing  amount  of  attention 
from  the  Boston  Health  Department,  which  is  making  a  persistent  at- 
tempt to  do  away  with  crowded  sleeping  arrangements  in  the  tenements. 
Two  instances  of  three  persons  to  a  room  were  discovered  in  the  course  of 
visits  to  Russians  at  work  on  paper  articles.  With  such  living  arrange- 
ments as  these,  it  is  almost  inevitable  that  the  workers  should  have  no 
separate  work-place,  but  should  use  any  room  in  which  space  for  their  tools 
and  materials  can  be  found.  The  home  workers  engaged  in  work  on 
Men's  Coats  and  Pants,  Celluloid  Goods,  and  Garters,  Suspenders,  etc., 
show  the  most  crowded  housing  conditions. 

The  following  table  shows  the  living  conditions  by  nativity. 


ANALYSIS   OF   CONDITIONS 


57 


TABLE  32.  —  Living  Conditions  of  Home  Workers:  By  Nativity. 


NATIVITY  OF  HOME  WORKERS. 

Total 
Number 
of  Home 
Workers 

NUMBER  or  PERSONS  PER  ROOM 

Less  than 
One 

One 
but  less 
than 
Two 

Two 
but  less 
than 
Three 

Three 
but  less 
than 
Four 

Four 
and  Over 

Number 
not 
Reported 

Totals. 

Native-born. 
Foreign-born. 
Armenia,     . 
Austria, 
Austria  (Poland), 
Canada  (French), 

2,409 

1,113 
783 
32 
3 
6 
112 
100 
45 
9 
17 
164 
212 
3 
11 
19 
3 
12 
18 
11 
6 
513 

1,012 

697 
280 
10 
1 
2 
42 
58 
33 
3 
7 
68 
15 
3 
6 
4 
1 
5 
11 
5 
6 
135 

1,121 

424 
384 
21 
2 
4 
65 
39 
9 
6 
10 
87 
106 

5 
12 
1 
5 
7 
5 

313 

194 

53 
101 
1 

4 

1 
3 

6 

81 

1 
1 
2 

1 

40 

20 

6 

11 

9 
2 

S 

1 
1 

61 

32 
7 

1 
2 

3 
1 

gg 

Canada  (Other), 
England,     . 
France, 

Germany,    . 
Ireland, 
Italy, 
Norway, 
Portugal,     . 
Russia, 
Russia  (Poland), 
Scotland,     . 
Sweden, 
Syria,  .        .        . 
Other  foreign  countries, 
Nativity  Not  Reported. 

The  native-born  lived  in  less  crowded  conditions  than  the  foreign-born, 
more  than  one-half  —  55.2  per  cent  —  of  the  native-born  lived  in  houses 
or  apartments  where  there  was  more  than  one  room  to  a  person,  while  only 
36.1  per  cent  of  the  foreign-born  had  as  much  as  one  room  to  a  person. 
The  Italians  showed  especially  crowded  quarters,  with  42.7  per  cent  living 
with  two  or  more  persons  to  a  room.  There  are  usually  not  many  spare 
rooms  in  the  houses  of  the  home  workers  and  the  work  is  necessarily  done 
in  the  rooms  occupied  by  the  family.  The  following  table  shows  the  kind 
of  room  used  for  a  workroom  by  each  of  the  1,377  families  of  home  workers 
for  whom  information  was  secured. 

TABLE  33.  —  Character  of  Room  used  for  Home  Work:  By  Industries. 


Total 

NUMBER  OP  FAMILIES  USING  AS  WORKROOM  — 

Num- 

INDUSTRIES. 

ber  of 
Fam- 
ilies 

Bed- 
room 

Dining 
Room 

Kitchen 

Living 
Room 

Vari- 
ous 
Rooms 

Work- 
room 

Not 
re- 
ported 

All  Industries. 

1,450 

50 

157 

691 

213 

234 

32 

73 

Wearing  Apparel. 

645 

32 

76 

260 

140 

89 

26 

22 

Clothing,  men's  —  coats  and  pants, 

109 

1 

_ 

104 

1 

1 

_ 

2 

Clothing,  men's  —  shirts  and  pajamas. 

36 

2 

6 

16 

7 

4 

_ 

1 

Clothing,  women's  —  machine-made. 

17 

2 

1 

2 

5 

1 

3 

3 

Clothing,  women's  —  hand-work, 

74 

10 

16 

14 

20 

9 

4 

Garters,  suspenders,  and  elastic  woven 

poods,      
Hosiery  and  machine-knit  goods, 
Neckwear,  dress  trimmings,  and  buttons 

21 
136 

63 

7 
6 

26 
10 

10 
30 
12 

1 
46 
18 

9 
11 
15 

6 
2 

1 

10 

Shoes  and  shoe  trimmings, 
Other  wearing  apparel, 

166 
23 

3 
1 

17 

57 
15 

40 
2 

35 
4 

13 
1 

1 

Celluloid  Goods. 

68 

— 

1 

16 

_ 

40 

.. 

1 

Jewelry  and  Silverioare. 

197 

1 

25 

98 

IS 

68 

1 

1 

Paper  Goods. 

£96 

S 

35 

180 

SI 

86 

S 

SO 

Sporting  Goods. 

137 

8 

IS 

70 

£6 

15 

S 

s 

Other  Industries. 

117 

e 

7 

67 

IS 

7 

17 

58  HOME   WORK   IN   MASSACHUSETTS 

Only  32  families  used  a  regular  workroom,  13  of  whom  were  shoe- 
makers working  in  small  shops.  In  the  majority  of  cases  —  691,  or  50.2 
per  cent  —  the  kitchen  was  used  as  a  workroom.  The  kitchen  is  naturally 
the  most  convenient  work  place  for  the  large  number  of  workers  who  are 
married  women;  in  their  case  home  work  alternates  with  housework  at 
almost  every  hour  of  the  day  and  they  need  to  have  their  work  close  at 
hand  where  it  can  be  picked  up  or  dropped  at  any  minute.  Apparently 
for  the  same  reason,  the  next  largest  number  of  persons  or  groups,  234,  or 
17.0  per  cent,  used  any  room  which  happened  to  be  convenient  at  the  time, 
or  in  "  various  rooms,"  as  they  are  termed  in  the  table.  Two  hundred 
and  thirteen  persons  or  groups,  or  15.5  per  cent,  used  living  rooms  for 
their  work  places.  One  hundred  and  fifty-seven  persons  or  groups,  or  11.4 
per  cent,  used  dining  rooms  for  their  work  places,  and  50  persons  or 
groups,  or  3.6  per  cent,  used  bedrooms  for  their  only  workrooms.  Thirty- 
two  of  these  bedrooms  were  used  for  the  manufacture  of  wearing  apparel ; 
10  for  hand-work  on  women's  clothing;  six  for  neckwear  or  dress  trim- 
mings; seven  for  hosiery  and  machine-knit  goods;  and  nine  for  other 
articles  of  wearing  apparel.  The  number  of  bedrooms  recorded  by  our 
agents  may  be  smaller  than  the  actual  number  used  in  the  households 
which  were  studied,  as  the  workers,  mindful  of  the  law,  usually  made 
an  attempt  to  conceal  the  fact  that  their  work  was  done  in  sleeping-rooms. 


CHAPTER  III 

DETAILED  EEPOETS  BY  INDUSTRIES 
1.    WEARING  APPAREL 

BY   MARGARET    S.   DISMORR 

A.     Introductory. 

The  scope  of  home  work,  once  a  complete  industrial  system  in  itself, 
has  been  continuously  narrowed  and  restricted  in  the  manufacture  of 
wearing  apparel.  Since  the  introduction  of  power  machinery,  specializa- 
tion has  invaded  the  field  of  the  home  worker,  and  her  work  is  confined 
more  and  more  to  the  mere  finishing  and  manipulating  of  machine  products 
which  were  once  entirely  the  product  of  the  home.  Instead  of  the  home- 
stitched  shirt  of  Thomas  Hood's  day,  we  now  know  only  the  factory  prod- 
uct; but  the  home  worker  still  turns  the  collar  and  cuffs  and  occasionally 
makes  the  buttonholes.  Instead  of  home-knit  sweaters  and  hose  and  under- 
wear, we  have  machine-knit  garments  from  the  factory,  but  many  of  these 
garments  are  still  home-finished.  The  factory  shoe  has  all  but  superseded 
the  home  product,  but  the  bow  on  the  shoe  and  the  beading  on  the  slipper 
are  still  made  at  home  almost  without  exception  in  Massachusetts. 

The  mechanical  inventions  which  threatened  to  take  production  out  of 
the  home  have,  by  their  very  deficiencies,  created  many  new  kinds  of  home 
work ;  but  the  home  worker  is  not  solely  an  improver  of  machine  products. 
Any  process  requiring  little  skill  or  supervision  and  a  minimum  of  mechan- 
ical power,  which  does  not  involve  the  use  of  valuable  or  bulky  materials, 
may  usually  be  found  in  the  home.  Some  of  the  processes  which  possess 
all  of  these  characteristics,  and  therefore  commend  themselves  perfectly  to 
home  work,  are:  Reeling  straw  braid,  making  shoe  bows,  and  knotting 
fringe  for  dress  trimmings. 

Manufacturers  of  wearing  apparel  secure  workers  in  three  ways:  By 
advertisement,  through  personal  acquaintance  and  the  application  of  the 
women  themselves  for  the  work,  and  through  agents. 


60  HOME   WORK   IN   MASSACHUSETTS 

Newspaper  advertisements  such  as  the  following  may  be  found  in  the 
Sunday  editions  of  the  Boston  newspapers : 

WOMEN  to  make  bungalow  aprons  at  home; 

must  be  neat  and  good  stitchers.    Room 

Street. 

HAND  SEWERS,  experienced  on  neckwear 

and  waists.     Mrs , 

Street. 

EMBROIDERERS  AND  CROCHETEKS,  experi- 
enced on  muslin  underwear ;  bring  samples  of 

work;  work  given  out  daily Co., 

Street. 

WANTED.  —  Experienced    dress    trimming 
ornament  makers;   work  can  be  taken  home. 

Apply  to Co., 

Street. 

Such  advertisements  attract  numbers  of  applicants,  but  many  are  un- 
tried workers  and  this  entails  loss  of  time  and  materials  until  the  more 
desultory  and  the  less  efficient  have  been  weeded  out.  Occasionally  an 
attempt  is  made  to  discourage  those  workers  who  are  suspected  of  coming 
from  dirty  homes  or  of  trying  to  live  upon  their  home  work  earnings. 
This  is  easily  effected  by  ordering  them  to  apply  to  the  State  Board  of 
Labor  and  Industries  for  a  license,  reducing  the  rate  of  pay,  giving  them 
a  less  profitable  kind  of  work,  or  simply  refusing  to  employ  them. 

The  method  of  securing  home  workers  used  by  factories  in  small  towns 
and  country  districts  is  a  very  simple  one.  The  work  is  at  first  given  only 
to  the  manufacturer's  family  and  then  to  other  persons  connected  with  the 
factory.  If  it  proves  satisfactory  they  are  allowed  to  show  their  friends 
how  to  do  it  and  the  circle  of  home  workers  widens.  Soon  it  becomes  a 
matter  of  common  knowledge  among  the  neighbors  that  the  knitting  mill 
or  the  shirt  shop  is  giving  out  work,  and  the  applications  for  it  are  numer- 
ous. Simultaneously,  the  rates  of  payment  go  down.  Home  work  once 
started  in  a  small  community  may,  in  the  course  of  a  generation  or  two, 
become  an  established  custom  so  that  country  factories  are  able  to  cling  to 
it  when  those  in  larger  centers  have  long  since  adopted  more  modern 
methods.  Securing  home  workers  through  agents  or  contractors  is  a  de- 
velopment of  the  preceding  method. 

The  prominence  of  the  home  worker  in  almost  every  industry  con- 
nected with  the  manufacture  of  wearing  apparel  appears  to  be  due  in  part 
to  its  seasonal  character.  The  manner  in  which  the  workers  adjust  them- 
selves to  industrial  seasons  is  particularly  noticeable  in  their  relations  to 
such  variable  industries  as  the  manufacture  of  straw  hats,  hand-knit  goods, 


REPORT   ON   WEARING   APPAREL  61 

women's  neckwear,  and  men's  coats  and  pants.  Pay-rolls  of  factories  in 
these  industries  show  relatively  greater  fluctuation  in  the  total  amount  paid 
to  home  workers  month  by  month  than  in  the  amount  paid  to  factory 
workers,  and  similarly  the  number  of  outworkers  varies  through  the  year 
more  than  the  number  in  the  factory.  Many  manufacturers  give  up  home 
work  entirely  during  the  dull  season,  which  may  last  from  a  few  weeks  to 
six  months,  a  fact  often  mentioned  by  them  in  support  of  the  statement 
that  home  workers  never  try  to  live  on  their  earnings. 

Home  work,  then,  is  largely  confined  to  the  simpler  processes  and  is 
most  general  in  the  seasonal  industries ;  but  it  is  not  confined  to  any  particu- 
lar grade  or  kind  of  article.  It  is  hardly  possible  to  walk  down  the  aisles 
of  any  department  store  without  seeing  ample  evidence  of  the  home  work- 
er's activity.  The  embroidered  baby-clothes  sold  at  a  first-class  store  are 
as  likely  to  have  come  from  the  hands  of  a  home  worker  as  the  cheapest 
neckwear  on  the  bargain  counter,  and  the  consumer  can  not  avoid  home- 
work products  by  paying  reasonably  high  or  even  extravagant  prices.  On 
the  whole,  however,  there  is  less  home  work  in  connection  with  custom- 
made  than  with  ready-made  clothing,  and  with  men's  than  with  women's 
and  children's  garments. 

The  relation  of  home  work  to  factory  work  varies  widely  in  the  differ- 
ent establishments  studied.  Many  manufacturers  have  all  their  work  done 
in  homes  and  have  no  factory  or  only  such  rooms  as  are  necessary  for  pre- 
paring and  inspecting  the  work  done  outside ;  they  often  use  home,  office, 
or  store  for  this  purpose.  Others  have  home  work  upon  a  small  proportion 
of  their  product  only,  most  of  it  being  factory-made ;  some  send  out  all  of 
their  product  to  home  workers  for  some  minor  process,  as  in  the  case  of 
shirt  manufacturers;  others  again  have  home  work  and  factory  work  in 
connection  with  the  same  process.  This  last  combination  sometimes  indi- 
cates a  transitional  stage  between  home  and  factory  where  the  machine 
process  is  gradually  superseding  hand  work,  but  more  usually  it  is  due  to 
lack  of  space  for  a  full  number  of  inside  workers  at  the  busy  season  or  to 
the  use  of  inside  workers  as  sample  makers  whose  product  is  copied  by 
home  workers. 

Home  workers  constituted  over  four-tenths  of  the  total  number  of  per- 
sons employed  by  57  wearing  apparel  factories  reporting  on  this  point, 
but  received  only  one-tenth  of  the  total  amount  paid  in  wages.  This  shows 
beyond  question  the  incidental  character  of  home-work  earnings.  Home 
workers  do  not  earn  and  usually  do  not  attempt  to  earn  a  living  wage. 

Most  of  the  home  work  on  wearing  apparel  is  distributed  directly  to 
the  workers.  Usually  they  or  their  children  call  at  the  office,  store,  or 


62  HOME   WORK   IN   MASSACHUSETTS 

factory  from  which  the  work  is  given  out,  but  in  some  cases,  where  ma- 
terials are  exceptionally  bulky,  the  factory  sends  a  team  to  deliver  and 
collect  work  at  regular  intervals.  Indirect  distribution,  through  contrac- 
tors, middlemen,  or  agents,  is  the  usual  method  when  the  home  workers 
live  in  country  districts  or  at  a  distance  from  the  factory,  when  they  are 
immigrants  and  can  not  be  communicated  with  except  through  one  of  their 
own  race,  or  when  the  work-materials  are  of  some  value  and  personal  over- 
sight is  necessary  to  prevent  loss  or  theft  on  the  part  of  the  workers. 

The  following  groups  of  wearing  apparel  industries  are  treated  in  this 
report : 

PAGES 

Men's  Clothing  — Coats  and  Pants, 62-64 

Men's  Clothing  —  Shirts  and  Pajamas, 65-66 

Women's  and  Children's  Clothing  —  Machine-made, 66 

Women's  and  Children's  Clothing  —  Hand-work, 67-68 

Neckwear,  Dress  Trimmings,  and  Buttons, 68-71 

Shoes  and  Shoe  Trimmings, 71-74 

Hosiery  and  Machine-knit  Goods, 74-76 

Suspenders,  Garters,  and  Elastic  Woven  Goods, 76-78 

Other  Wearing  Apparel  —  Gloves,  Straw  Hats,  and  Hand-knit  Goods,  .         .  78-82 

There  appears  to  be  but  little  home  work  on  corsets  and  ostrich  feathers 
found  in  Massachusetts.  Four  corset  makers  were  interviewed,  two  of 
whom  had  never  employed  home  workers^  one  used  to  employ  them  at 
stitching  but  has  now  given  up  the  system,  and  one  reported  home  work 
of  a  very  occasional  nature,  the  boning  of  a  cheap  grade  of  corset.  The 
regular  home  work  on  corsets  seems  to  be  confined  to  making  garters, 
which  is  not  done  directly  for  corset  makers  but  for  the  garter  manufac- 
turers who  supply  them.  The  two  ostrich  feather  shops  reported  no 
regular  home  work,  but  occasionally  knotting  willow  plumes  was  done  at 
home  by  their  inside  workers. 

B.    Men's  Clothing  —  Coats  and  Pants. 
(1)      THE  INDUSTRY. 

The  men's  clothing  industry  of  Massachusetts  centers  in  Boston,  where 
169  of  the  174  establishments  visited  are  situated.1  The  remaining  five 
are  in  Springfield  and  North  Brookfield. 

The  large  manufacturers  of  Boston  are  mostly  on  Washington  Street 
and  in  the  wholesale  district,  while  their  contract  tailors  are  to  be  found 

»  The  Bureau  of  Statistics  in  its  Report  on  the  Statistics  of  Manufactures  for  1912  presented  returns  for  158 
manufacturers  of  men's  clothing  in  Boston.  The  difference  between  this  figure  and  that  given  above  is  due  in 
large  part  to  the  inclusion  in  the  present  study  of  a  greater  number  of  small  custom  establishments. 


REPORT   ON   WEARING   APPAREL  63 

in  the  tenement  district  of  the  North  End  surrounded  by  their  labor  force. 
/  Only  four  of  the  large  firms  do  the  actual  tailoring  of  the  garments  on  their 
own  premises,  and  three  of  these  give  out  home  work  on  ready-made  pants. 
The  others  subdivide  the  work  on  coats,  vests,  and  pants  among  contract 
tailors,  to  whom  they  send  the  cut-out  garments  to  be  made  up  at  a  stated 
price  a  dozen.  Thus,  each  manufacturer  has  usually  at  least  one  coat 
maker,  vest  maker,  and  pants  maker,  and  these  tailors  do  all  the  work 
except  designing,  cutting,  and  trimming. 

Practically  all  of  the  contract  tailors  for  whom  addresses  were  obtain- 
able were  visited,  but  the  constant  shifting  of  such  small  establishments 
made  them  hard  to  trace.  Many  had  closed  their  shops  on  account  of  a 
labor  disturbance.  Eighty-six  were  interviewed,  36  of  whom  gave  out 
home  work.  Very  few  of  these  kept  complete  pay-rolls  and  addresses  of 
home  workers.  Thirty-nine  whose  shops  were  closed  could  not  be  traced. 
In  addition,  16  shops  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  knee-pants,  overalls, 
and  other  tailored  garments  were  visited.  From  only  two  of  these  was 
home  work  given  out.  The  heads  of  the  establishments  visited  were  mainly 
Russian  Jews,  a  few  were  American  or  British,  and  the  remainder  mostly 
Italian. 

Home  work  was  found  to  be  general  in  the  manufacture  of  ready-made 
pants.  It  was  occasionally  found  on  coats  and  custom  pants.  No  home 
work  on  vests,  overalls,  or  knee-pants  was  found,  but  two  overall  manu- 
facturers employed  home  workers  on  heavy  shirts  and  sailor  blouses.  In 
general,  there  is  less  home  work  on  custom  than  on  ready-made  garments. 

Home  work  on  coats  is  confined  to  the  making  of  buttonholes  and  is 
only  used  to  supplement  the  work  of  shop  employees  at  exceptionally  busy 
times.  The  home  workers  are  paid  at  the  same  rate  as  inside  workers, 
three  cents  a  hole  being  the  rate  of  payment  for  holes  which  a  quick 
worker  is  said  to  make  at  the  rate  of  one  dozen  an  hour. 

Home  work  on  pants  consists  of  finishing,  i.e.,  sewing  on  11  buttons, 
making  the  upturn  at  the  bottoms,  putting  on  buckles,  sewing  in  stiffening 
and  lining  at  the  waist,  and  taking  out  basting  threads.  When  this  is  done 
the  garments  are  pressed  at  the  shop  and  are  then  ready  for  sale.  Some- 
times the  home  work  includes  in  addition  one  or  more  of  the  following 
processes:  Tacking  down  pockets,  sewing  in  hanger  and  manufacturer's 
label,  making  five  buttonholes,  and  putting  rubber  in  the  upturn  at  the 
bottoms.  The  rate  of  pay,  which  is  the  same  for  both  shop  and  home 
workers,  varies  from  7%  to  9%  cents  a  pair;  the  usual  rate  is  one  dollar 
a  dozen  or  eight  cents  a  pair,  the  work  on  a  single  pair  requiring  a  little 
over  one  hour  in  most  cases.  Heavy  bundles  of  pants  may  be  seen  carried 


64  HOME   WORK   IN   MASSACHUSETTS 

by  children  of  home  workers  to  and  from  the  tailor  shops  for  transportation 
is  usually  attended  to  entirely  by  the  employee.  Children  not  infrequently 
help  their  parents  by  sewing  on  buttons,  but  the  greater  part  of  the  work 
is  done  by  adult  women.  Workers  complain  of  painful  backs  and  impaired 
digestion  due  to  the  stooping  posture  required,  but,  on  the  whole,  the  work 
does  not  seem  to  be  especially  injurious  physically  except  that  it  neces- 
sitates the  carrying  of  heavy  bundles  and  that  most  of  the  women  work 
up  to  within  a  short  time  before  childbirth  and  begin  work  soon  after. 

(2)     THE  LABOE  SUPPLY. 

Boston  tailors  rarely  have  to  advertise  for  home  workers  since  they  live 
in  the  midst  of  a  congested  immigrant  colony.  The  Italian  women  of  the 
North  End  are  glad  to  supplement  the  irregular  earnings  of  their  hus- 
bands. News  of  opportunity  for  employment  spreads  quickly  in  a  crowded 
tenement  and  even  the  most  recent  arrivals  are  promptly  initiated  into  the 
trade.  Each  pants  maker  uses  from  one  to  12  finishers  outside  his  shop  as 
well  as  those  inside.  A  total  of  about  340  homes  in  the  North  End  l 
licensed  for  work  on  clothing  was  listed  by  the  State  Board  of  Health, 
practically  all  of  these  being  homes  of  pants  finishers.  Forty-one  tailors 
reported  in  all  about  200  home  workers  in  their  employ. 

Nearly  all  of  the  pay  records  of  home  workers  show  great  irregularity 
of  work,  but  statements  of  tailors  and  home  workers  indicate  that  the 
worker  sometimes  fills  in  the  dull  season  of  one  employer  by  working  for 
another.  The  home  workers  are  the  marginal  element  in  the  tailor's  labor 
force  —  the  first  to  be  laid  off  in  the  slack  times  of  midsummer  and  mid- 
winter, the  last  to  be  taken  on  in  the  rush  of  Spring  and  Autumn.  The 
elasticity  of  the  home  labor  force  is  the  feature  which  particularly  com- 
mends it  to  the  clothing  trade.  It  adjusts  itself  to  the  intense  seasonal 
fluctuations  of  the  industry  more  readily  than  the  regular  working  force. 

The  contract  system  under  which  nearly  all  of  the  men's  clothing  in 
Boston  is  produced  places  a  premium  upon  home  labor ;  for  the  contractor 
is  successful  in  proportion  to  the  amount  of  work  he  can  get  out  of  his 
employees  at  the  lowest  possible  wage  and  with  the  smallest  overhead 
charges.  No  home-work  contractors  were  found  in  the  men's  clothing  in- 
dustry. The  contract  tailors  themselves  act  as  contractors  for  the  whole- 
sale dealers,  not  only  in  relation  to  home  workers,  but  to  all  the  workers  on 
the  garments  except  cutters  and  trimmers.  They  employ  no  sub-contrac- 
tors outside  of  their  shops. 

1  The  North  End  corresponds  roughly  to  Ward  Six,  and  the  part  of  the  North  End  in  which  the  greater  num- 
ber of  home  workers  live  is  bounded  by  Commercial,  Clinton,  North,  and  Union  Streets,  and  Washington  Street 
North. 


REPORT   ON   WEARING   APPAREL  65 

C.    Men's  Clothing  —  Shirts  and  Pajamas. 
(1)     THE  INDUSTRY. 

Eighteen  firms  were  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  shirts  in  Massa- 
chusetts. Ten  of  these  were  in  the  Metropolitan  District  of  Boston  and 
in  Haverhill,  six  in  the  central  part  of  the  State,  and  two  in  the  western 
part.  Sixteen  manufacturers  were  interviewed,  three  personally  and  13 
by  letter.  Eight  reported  home  work,  employing  altogether  from  130  to 
140  home  workers  in  the  busy  season.  Five  of  these  firms  manufacture 
fine  ready-made  shirts  and  pajamas  and  three  manufacture  custom  shirts. 

The  work  given  out  is  turning  collars,  cuffs,  neckbands  and  facings  and 
making  buttonholes  and  pa  jama  frogs.  In  no  case  was  the  making  of  the 
entire  garment  at  home  reported.  Turning  collars,  cuffs  and  neckbands  is 
unskilled  work.  The  materials  are  given  out  from  the  factories  in  bundles 
of  a  dozen  or  a  dozen  pairs  just  as  they  come  from  the  machines,  wrong 
side  out.  The  home  workers  wet  the  corners,  turn  them  right  side  out  on 
a  punch  or  cornering  iron,  which  resembles  a  screw  driver,  clamped  to  the 
table,  and  press  them  with  a  hot  iron  and  tie  them  up  by  dozens.  Turning 
facings  is  still  more  simple  work.  The  facings  are  strips  of  cotton  or 
silk  with  which  the  front  opening  of  the  shirt  is  lined  and  require 
merely  creasing  by  the  home  worker  before  they  are  stitched  on  at  the 
factory.  This  creasing  is  done  with  the  finger  nail  or  against  the  edge 
of  the  table.  Making  pa  jama  frogs  is  easy  work,  requiring  a  certain  knack 
which  is  soon  acquired.  Silk  braid  is  given  out  to  the  worker  on  spools, 
and  she  cuts  it  into  pieces  of  a  certain  length  and  curves  them  into  shape 
by  pulling  the  cord  at  the  edge.  They  are  then  sewed  together  in  the 
trefoil  form  and  the  ends  trimmed. 

None  of  the  above  operations  are  performed  inside  the  factories; 
but  this  is  not  the  case  with  buttonholing,  which  is  given  to  home  workers 
only  at  busy  times  and  usually  from  custom  factories,  which  feel  most 
keenly  the  pressure  of  the  busy  season.  Most  of  this  work  is  done  by  adult 
women,  but  children  sometimes  work  at  the  turning  of  collars,  cuffs,  neck- 
bands, and  facings  —  especially  the  last,  which  do  not  require  the  use  of 
a  hot  iron.  "No  children  were  found  working  on  pa  jama  frogs. 

Pates  of  Pay. 

Turning  shirt  collars, $0 . 02|  and  SO .  02f  a  dozen. 

Turning  shirt  cuffs 01|  to        .05   a  dozen  pairs. 

Turning  shirt  neckbands, 01£  to         .03^  a  dozen. 

Turning  shirt  facings, .  OOf  for  three  dozen. 

Making  pajama  frogs,     ........  .05    a  dozen. 


66  HOME   WORK   IN   MASSACHUSETTS 

(2)     THE  LABOR  SUPPLY. 

Most  of  the  home  work  on  shirts  was  concentrated  in  one  city.  Em- 
ployers had  no  difficulty  in  obtaining  a  ready  supply  of  workers  from  the 
numerous  applications  which  were  made.  There  is  no  regular  seasonal 
variation  in  the  home  work  on  ready-made  shirts  and  pajamas,  although 
some  of  the  factories  shut  down  entirely  for  two  weeks  during  the  Summer. 
Custom  shirt  work  is  subject  to  periods  of  seasonal  pressure  and  not  much 
home  work  is  given  out  except  at  such  times. 

D.    Women's  and  Children's  Clothing  —  Machine-made. 
(1)     THE  INDUSTRY. 

Ninety-seven  manufacturers  of  women's  and  children's  machine-made 
clothing  were  interviewed,  92  of  whom  were  found  in  Boston  and  the 
remainder  in  Worcester,  Salem,  Somerville,  Stoneham,  and  North  Brook- 
field.  Fifty-one  of  these  manufactured  ready-made  waists  and  skirts  and 
19  manufactured  ready-made  and  custom-made  suits.  No  regular  home 
workers  were  employed  by  these  establishments,  but  inside  employees  often 
took  work  to  do  at  home,  both  on  ready-made  and  custom  goods.  The  re- 
maining 27  firms  manufactured  machine-made  muslin  underwear,  collars, 
aprons,  wrappers,  house  dresses,  and  children's  night-suits  and  rompers; 
nine  of  these  manufacturers  employed  home  workers. 

The  work  given  out  was  confined  to  the  making  of  aprons,  kimonos, 
rompers,  and  night-suits,  which  were  cut  out  in  the  factory  and  made  up 
at  home  upon  a  foot-power  sewing  machine.  In  some  cases  buttons  and 
buttonholes  were  also  home  work.  Only  one  home  worker  on  kimonos 
was  found. 

Rates  of  Pay. 

Percale  work  aprons, $0.15  to  $0.75  a  dozen. 

Percale  rompers  (with  buttons  and  buttonholes),  .       .       .        .50  to    1.50  a  dozen. 

Flannelette  night  suits  (with  buttons), 40  a  dozen. 

Silk  and  satin  kimonos, 1.00  to    1.25  each. 

(2)     THE  LABOR  SUPPLY. 

The  nine  firms  reporting  home  work  employed  altogether  about  175 
home  workers.  These  were  obtained  by  newspaper  advertisement  and  by 
the  applications  of  the  workers  themselves.  There  is  no  marked  dull  sea- 
son in  this  work.  Most  of  the  firms  employing  home  workers  had  no  fac- 
tory, but  simply  a  cutting  room  and  office  or  retail  store,  or  a  combination 
of  all  three.  Occasionally,  however,  inside  stitchers  were  employed  as 
well  as  home  workers.  In  most  cases  work  was  distributed  directly  from 
the  factory,  office  or  store  to  the  workers. 


REPORT   ON   WEARING   APPAREL  67 

E.    Women's  and  Children's  Clothing  —  Hand-work. 

(1)     THE  INDUSTRY. 

Ten  manufacturers  of  women's  and  children's  hand-made  and  hand- 
embroidered  clothing  were  interviewed,  seven  of  whom  were  located  in 
Boston,  one  in  Worcester,  one  in  Springfield,  and  one  in  Maiden.  Seven 
of  these  firms  employed  home  workers.  Altogether  they  reported  the 
names  of  more  than  1,000  workers,  most  of  whom  were  in  Worcester, 
Springfield,  and  Metropolitan  Boston.  The  products  of  these  factories  are 
women's  hand-embroidered  waists  and  underwear  and  children's  hand- 
made or  hand-embroidered  dresses.  They  are,  for  the  most  part,  high- 
grade  goods  and  the  "  factories "  themselves  are  sometimes  high-class 
specialty  shops  where  no  manufacturing  is  carried  on  but  from  which 
materials  are  distributed  to  home  workers.  The  work  given  out  is  em- 
broidering muslin  underwear,  night  gowns,  and  waists,  embroidering  ma- 
chine-made children's  dresses,  and  making  by  hand  the  finest  grade  of 
children's  ready-made  dresses  and  other  garments.  Most  of  this  work,  be- 
ing fairly  skilled,  is  done  by  adult  women.  No  children  under  14  years 
of  age  were  found  at  work. 

Rates  of  Pay. 

1.  Muslin  underwear  with  spray  designs: 

Night  gowns  (front  and  sleeves),  * $1 .00  to  $1 .30  a  dozen. 

Chemises  (front), 2.00adozeD. 

Corset  covers  (front), 1.00  a  dozen. 

Union  suits  (four  pieces), 3. 60  a  dozen. 

2.  Irish  lace  medallions  for  night  gowns, 1.00  a  dozen. 

3.  Children's  clothing: 

Tucked  dresses,  : .85  each. 

Infants'  wrappers, .95  each. 

Rompers, 35  to      .75  each. 

Petticoats, 70  each. 

Bonnets, 70  each. 

Embroidered  animals  on  rompers, 1.00  a  dozen. 

Embroidered  collars  and  cuffs  of  dresses, 3. 00  a  dozen. 

(2)     THE  LABOR  SUPPLY. 

This  kind  of  work  is  subject  to  the  same  seasonal  variations  as  other 
wearing  apparel  but  fluctuations  are  not  so  violent.  The  American  manu- 
facturer of  embroidered  underwear  has  to  compete  directly  with  the 
product  of  older  countries,  particularly  of  France,  where  labor  is  cheap 
and  such  goods  are  produced  largely  in  convents  and  institutions.  He  has 

1  See  Plate  I,  figure  1,  facing  p.  74. 


68  HOME   WORK   IN   MASSACHUSETTS 

recourse  to  the  use  of  home  labor  with  its  two-fold  advantage  of  saving 
rent  and  labor  cost.  The  latter  can  be  reduced  to  an  especially  low  figure 
in  this  kind  of  work,  as  many  women  look  upon  embroidery  as  a  pastime 
and  their  earnings  from  it  as  pocket  money.  Consequently,  they  are  will- 
ing to  work  for  piece-rates  so  low  that  they  often  can  not  make  more  than 
three  or  four  cents  an  hour.  Home  work  is,  moreover,  particularly  suited 
to  this  industry,  as  the  non-professional  worker  often  gives  an  individual 
and  painstaking  care  to  the  work  which  can  not  be  equalled  by  the  ma- 
jority of  factory  workers.  As  in  the  case  of  home  work  on  machine-made 
clothing,  the  employer  usually  has  no  factory.  Sometimes  he  has  a  cutting 
room,  a  stitching  room,  and  an  office  from  which  the  machine-made  gar- 
ments are  distributed  to  the  embroiderers.  More  usually  he  has  a  retail 
store.  Large  stores  often  employ  a  few  inside  workers  on  the  better  grade 
of  hand-made  goods,  and  these  are  frequently  supplemented  or  even  re- 
placed by  home  workers. 

The  methods  of  distributing  this  work  are  various.  The  salaried  con- 
tractor and  the  contractor  who  makes  what  profit  she  can  from  the  workers 
are  both  found  in  this  industry,  but  the  work  is  usually  given  directly  to 
the  workers  themselves  unless  they  live  at  a  distance,  in  which  case  the 
contractor  acts  as  a  distributing  center  for  the  neighborhood. 

F.    Neckwear,  Dress  Trimmings,  and  Buttons. 
(1)     THE  INDUSTRY. 

The  manufacture  of  women's  neckwear  is  the  most  seasonal  and  tran- 
sitory of  all  industries  connected  with  Wearing  Apparel.  It  is  also  most 
often  subject  to  periods  of  sudden  pressure  due  to  changes  in  fashion,  for 
neckwear  styles  change  so  rapidly  that  the  manufacturer  who  makes  up 
such  goods  in  advance  of  the  demand  runs  a  serious  risk  of  having  them 
left  on  his  hands.  This  explains  the  prevalence  of  home  work  in  this 
industry,  for  the  home  labor  force  is  easily  increased,  diminished,  or  dis- 
banded in  response  to  the  shifting  conditions  of  the  trade. 

Reports  as  to  home  work  were  received  from  35  manufacturers  of 
neckwear,  dress  trimmings,  and  buttons,  28  of  whom  employed  home 
workers.  Twenty-seven  of  these,  located  in  Boston,  Easthampton,  New- 
buryport,  and  Springfield,  were  interviewed  in  person,  and  eight,  located 
in  Boston,  Chicopee,  Northampton,  and  Reading,  reported  by  letter. 
Fifteen  of  the  35  manufacturers  make  women's  neckwear,  all  15  of  whom 
have  home  work,  and  seven  of  the  nine  who  manufacture  men's  ties  have 
home  work.  Home  work  is  given  out  by  three  of  the  seven  who  make  dress 


REPORT   ON   WEARING   APPAREL  69 

braid,  fringe  for  dresses  and  curtains,  and  uniform  regalia;  of  four  who 
make  plain  and  fancy  buttons,  three  have  home  work. 

The  home  process  on  women's  neckwear  is  hand-sewing  and  lace- 
making.  The  workers  make  silk  and  satin  bows  and  balls,  and  ribbon 
flowers  and  leaves.  They  also  crochet  Irish  lace  for  jabots,  bows,  and 
collars.  The  work  is  pleasant  and  attractive  and  many  women  who  have 
no  other  hobby  give  their  spare  time  to  it.  The  rates  of  pay  are  low  and 
those  who  look  to  it  as  a  regular  source  of  income  have  to  work  long  hours 
in  order  to  make  it  pay. 

Changes  in  style  mean  changes  in  rates  and  probably  few  of  the  piece- 
rates  which  were  collected  from  hundreds  of  workers,  contractors,  and 
manufacturers  in  the  season  1912-13  would  hold  good  for  another  year; 
although  the  hourly  earnings  of  the  workers  are  said  to  remain  fairly 
constant  from  year  to  year  whatever  the  prevailing  style  of  the  moment. 
The  following  rates  are  for  work  distributed  directly  to  the  workers : 

Rates  of  Pay  for  Making  Women's  Neckwear. 

Fancy  bows,  hand-made, $0 . 02  to  $0 . 50  a  dozen. 

Fancy  bows,  machine-made, 10  to      .75  a  dozen. 

These  bows  retail  at  19,  25  and  50  cents  a  piece.  The  time  required  to  make  them  is  about 
eight  hours  for  a  dozen  at  75  cents,  and  from  six  to  nine  hours  for  a  dozen  at  50  cents. 

Ribbon  flowers  and  apples  for  neckwear,        .         .03  to      .60  a  dozen. 

The  smallest  size  of  ribbon  rose  at  eight  cents  a  dozen  requires  about  one  hour  to  make  a 
dozen.  The  ribbon  has  to  be  cut  out,  padded  with  worsted,  folded  round  in  the  shape  of  a  rose- 
bud, and  sewed  together  with  two  ribbon  leaves  at  the  back.  The  larger  roses  at  40  cents  a 
dozen  require  about  two  and  one-half  hours.  A  dozen  forget-me-not  bows  at  five  cents  a  dozen 
require  about  three-quarters  of  an  hour.  A  dozen  rose  neck-pieces  (sprays  of  six  rosebuds  with 
16  leaves  attached  to  a  wire  frame)  at  60  cents  take  about  six  hours.  The  apples  are  of  silk, 
padded  with  cotton,  and  tinted  pink  on  one  side  by  the  worker. 

The  following  rates  are  for  work  distributed  through  contractors: 

Fancy  bows,  hand-made, $0 . 25  to  $0 . 70  a  dozen  to  contractor. 

.  20  to      .  65  a  dozen  to  worker. 

Retail  price, 25  to      .50  each. 

Wholesale  price,  up  to 4 . 50  a  dozen. 

These  bows  are  of  silk,  muslin,  or  hand-made  Irish  lace,  or  a  combination  of  various 
materials. 

The  home  work  on  men's  neckwear  is  the  making  of  four-in-hand  ties 
and  bows.  The  ties  are  cut  out,  stitched,  lined,  sewed,  and  pressed  with  a 
hot  iron.  The  bows  are  cut  out,  stitched  inside  out,  turned,  padded,  and 
attached  to  a  piece  of  pasteboard  which  has  a  clip  at  the  back  to  fit  the 
collar  button. 


70  HOME   WORK   IN   MASSACHUSETTS 

Rates  of  Pay  for  Making  Men's  Neckwear. 

Four-in-hand  ties, $0.12  to     $0.40  a  dozen. 

Wholesale  prices,  $2.25,  $4.25  and  $4.50  a  dozen.     Retail  prices,  25  cents  to  55  cents  each. 

Bows, 3. 50  a  gross. 

A  highly  skilled  home  worker  with  a  power  machine  can  make  10  dozen  40-cent  ties  in  about 
seven  hours  and  a  gross  of  bows  in  14  hours. 

The  following  are  specimen  rates  of  pay  for  making  dress  trimmings, 
carding  buttons,  etc. : 

Rates  of  Pay  for  Work  on  Dress  Trimmings,  etc. 

Braid  loops  and  frogs, $0.20  and  $0.24  a  dozen. 

1 . 20  a  gross. 
Half  a  dozen  of  the  20-cent  loops  can  be  made  in  one  hour. 

Dress  fringe  (one  to  three  knots), 03  to         .09  a  yard. 

One  yard  of  three-knot  fringe  at  nine  cents  can  be  knotted  in  50  minutes. 

Irish  lace  buttons, .02  a  dozen. 

About  four  dozen  can  be  made  in  one  hour. 

Buttons  (carded),  pearl,  bone,  and  fancy  covered,     .       .         .01£  to      .05  a  gross. 
It  takes  about  10  minutes  to  card  one  dozen  of  the  plain  buttons  at  1J  cents. 

(2)     THE  LABOR  SUPPLY. 

The  28  manufacturers  reporting  home  work  on  neckwear,  dress  trim- 
mings, and  buttons  employed  altogether  about  1,250  home  workers  in  their 
busy  season,  but  when  the  trade  is  dull  some  of  them  give  up  all  their 
home  workers  and  the  others  reduce  the  force  considerably.  The  workers 
are  usually  secured  by  means  of  newspaper  advertisements. 

The  season  for  making  women's  neckwear  continues  from  early 
Autumn  until  about  June  with  a  slight  depression  in  January,  but  it  is  at 
its  height  in  the  weeks  preceding  Christmas  and  Easter.  The  regular 
season  is  modified  by  occasional  periods  of  extreme  pressure  and  slackness, 
due  to  unexpected  turns  of  fashion  and  the  introduction  of  new  styles. 
Work  on  dress  trimmings  is  given  to  home  workers  only  in  the  busy  season. 
Men's  neckwear,  dress  trimmings,  and  buttons  are  not  especially  subject 
to  seasonal  fluctuations,  so  far  as  the  work  of  the  home  worker  is  concerned. 

Manufacturers  of  women's  neckwear  usually  have  more  home  workers 
than  inside  workers.  The  work  is  given  out  by  retail  stores  and  by  jobbing 
and  mercantile  houses,  which  have  no  inside  workers,  or  by  neckwear 
factories,  which  have  inside  workers  all  the  year  round  and  employ  home 


REPORT   ON   WEARING   APPAREL  71 

workers  chiefly  at  the  busiest  times.  Home  work  on  men's  ties,  on  the 
other  hand,  is  merely  supplementary  to  factory  work  and  is  usually  given 
to  former  inside  employees;  only  one  of  the  manufacturers  interviewed 
had  all  his  work  done  by  home  workers.  The  explanation  of  this  lies  in 
the  fact  that  men's  ties  of  the  cheaper  grades  are  always  machine-made, 
and  the  home  sewing  machine  can  not  long  compete  with  the  power  ma- 
chine. Only  one  home  was  found  in  which  a  power  machine  had  been  in- 
stalled. Most  of  the  work  on  dress  trimmings  and  buttons  is  done  in  the 
factory  and  even  the  processes  which  can  be  performed  at  home  are  usually 
divided  between  home  and  factory. 

Distribution  through  contractors  is  more  usual  in  the  women's  neck- 
wear industry  than  in  any  other  kind  of  work  on  wearing  apparel ;  but  a 
large  proportion  of  the  work,  as  well  as  all  home  work  on  men's  ties,  on 
dress  trimmings,  and  on  buttons,  is  distributed  directly  from  the  factory 
to  the  workers.  Contractors  have  no  written  agreement  with  manufac- 
turers but  they  usually  have  fixed  days  for  taking  out  and  bringing  back 
work,  and  contract  to  get  it  done  within  a  certain  time.  Rates  of  pay  are 
fixed  by  manufacturers  either  independently  or  by  bargaining  with  con- 
tractors, who  pay  the  home  workers  out  of  these  rates,  deducting  a  com- 
mission of  from  five  to  25  per  cent.  Neckwear  contractors  frequently 
contract  for  home  work  on  hand-knit  goods  also,  and  are  nearly  always 
themselves  home  workers  as  well  as  contractors.  Most  of  the  Armenian 
home  workers  on  women's  neckwear  are  supplied  with  the  work  through 
contractors  of  their  own  race. 

G.    Shoes  and  Shoe  Trimmings. 

(1)     THE  INDUSTRY. 

Six  hundred  and  sixty-six  establishments  manufacturing  boots  and 
shoes  and  boot  and  shoe  findings  are  listed  by  the  Bureau  of  Statistics.  Most 
of  these  are  located  in  Boston,  Brockton,  Lynn,  Haverhill,  Salem,  Marl- 
borough,  Beverly,  and  Newburyport.  The  31  manufacturers  interviewed 
were  located  in  Boston,  Lynn,  Haverhill,  Newburyport,  Worcester, 
Maiden,  and  Reading.  Twenty-four  of  the  31  manufacturers  interviewed 
reported  home  work.  Ten  of  these  manufacture  shoe  trimmings  such  as 
bows  and  beading;  12  make  turn  and  welt  shoes,  chiefly  women's  and 
children's ;  and  two  manufacture  baby  shoes,  moccasins,  and  soft  slippers. 
Seven  reported  no  home  work  and  five  of  these  are  manufacturers  of  turn 
and  welt  shoes  and  two  manufacture  boots  and  linings  and  baby  shoes. 
The  latter  two  formerly  gave  out  home  work  but  have  discontinued  it. 

Home  shoemakers  are  employed  only  on  those  operations  which  can  not 


72  HOME   WORK   IN   MASSACHUSETTS 

be  more  advantageously  performed  by  power  machines.  The  processes 
performed  by  home  workers  on  shoes  are  the  following:  Making  hand- 
sewed  turn  shoes;  making  babies'  moccasins  and  sewing  on  buttons  and 
pasting  in  linings  of  baby  shoes;  making  machine-knit  worsted  slippers, 
and  crocheting  worsted  slippers  by  hand;  beading  slipper  vamps;  and 
making  shoe  bows,  rosettes,  and  other  trimmings  for  slippers. 

Within  the  memory  of  persons  yet  living,  Massachusetts  shoe  factories 
were  distributing  the  stock  and  materials  for  making  shoes  to  families  of 
home  workers  who  not  only  lasted  the  shoe  and  sewed  sole  and  upper  to- 
gether, but  also  did  the  stitching  upon  the  upper  —  at  first  by  hand  and 
later  on  their  home  sewing  machines.  With  the  introduction  of  power 
machinery  the  latter  process  has  been  taken  into  the  factory  stitching  room, 
and  heeling  also  is  now  a  factory  process.  The  work  is  no  longer  so 
profitable  to  the  home  worker,  and  his  work  is  confined  to  a  special  kind 
of  shoe.  The  work  is  either  on  a  specially  soft  kid  shoe,  intended  for  the 
use  of  elderly  women  and  invalids  and  retailing  at  two  or  three  dollars  a 
pair,  or  else  on  an  inferior  grade  of  shoe  retailing  at  about  one  dollar  a 
pair.  In  the  former  case  hand-sewing  is  supposed  to  make  a  more  pliable 
shoe ;  and  in  the  case  of  the  cheap  shoe  it  has  the  advantage  of  allowing  for 
weak  places  in  the  poor  grade  of  leather  used,  while  a  machine  operator 
can  not  make  this  discrimination.  In  either  case,  the  turn  shoe  is  of  a 
light,  pliable  make,  for,  as  its  name  implies,  it  has  to  be  made  inside  out 
and  then  turned.  Only  one  factory  sends  out  satin  slippers  to  be  made 
at  home;  the  colored  shoes  are  regularly  made  in  the  factory,  but  white 
ones,  which  are  liable  to  be  soiled  when  machine-made,  are  sent  out  to  be 
sewed  by  hand.  The  regular  hand-sewed  turn  shoes  are  rarely  made  inside 
the  factory.  No  welt  shoes  or  machine-made  turn  shoes  were  found  in 
the  homes,  owing  to  the  fact  that  mechanical  power  is  required. 

Work  on  hand-sewed  turn  shoes  was  given  out  by  eight  Massachusetts 
manufacturers  employing  about  400  home  workers,  most  of  whom  were 
men.  About  one-half  of  these  workers  were  residents  of  New  Hampshire. 
The  factory  supplies  the  shoemaker  with  the  materials  for  making  the 
shoe  already  cut  out,  and  with  lasts,  tacks,  and  thread. 

Babies'  moccasins  are  almost  entirely  a  home-work  product.  Hand- 
work on  baby  moccasins  is  always  done  at  home  and  only  cutting  out  and 
stitching  of  back  seam  and  lining  are  factory  work.  Sewing  machine- 
knit  worsted  slippers  is  one  of  the  numerous  processes  in  which  the 
home  worker  merely  supplements  the  work  of  the  machine.  Machine- 
knit  worsted  slippers  are  given  out  to  home  workers  only  for  sewing  to- 


REPORT   ON   WEARING   APPAREL  73 

gether  uppers  and  soles  and  tying  bows.  Hand-crocheted  worsted  slippers 
are  made  throughout  by  the  home  worker,  the  factory  merely  supplying 
yarn,  soft  soles,  ribbon,  and  thread.  Much  of  the  work  on  worsted  slippers 
and  baby  moccasins  is  done  in  the  Summer  and  Autumn  and  work  on  baby 
shoes  is  usually  heavy  before  the  Christmas  season.  Some  lines  of  baby 
shoes  are  made  only  for  the  Christmas  trade.  Hand-knit  slippers,  shoe 
bows,  and  beading  are  entirely  the  product  of  the  home  worker;  usually 
only  samples  are  made  in  the  factory. 

Beading  is  fairly  skilled  work.  The  pattern  is  stamped  on  a  kid  or 
satin  vamp  and  has  to  be  worked  over  in  beads  with  a  fine  needle.  Workers 
usually  complain  that  the  work  is  trying  to  the  eyes.  Shoe  bow  making  is 
light  and  easy,  but  monotonous.  Rosettes  are  more  elaborate  and  are 
seldom  made  by  the  same  workers  who  make  bows  or  beading.  Work  on 
shoe  trimmings  has  a  summer  season  and  a  winter  season.  In  Summer, 
home  workers  are  occupied  with  beading  and  rosettes  for  winter  slippers ; 
in  Winter  they  make  bows  and  buckles  for  light  shoes  and  pumps  for 
Summer.  These  seasons  overlap  and  there  is  consequently  no  great  ir- 
regularity in  shoe  trimming  work. 

Much  of  the  work  on  shoes  and  shoe  trimmings  was  done  in  country 
districts,  and  consequently  a  large  proportion  of  it  was  distributed  by  con- 
tractors. Some  of  the  contractors  receive  a  fixed  commission  from  the 
manufacturer,  while  others  are  paid  at  the  regular  rates  for  the  work  they 
give  out,  and  make  their  profits  by  paying  the  workers  as  much  less  than 
the  regular  rates  as  they  can.  Most  of  the  work  on  turn  shoes  is  dis- 
tributed directly;  the  shoemakers  either  carry  the  shoes  themselves  or 
express  them,  paying  the  charge  one  way.  Slipper  beading  and  shoe  bows 
and  rosettes  were  given  out  to  home  workers  by  the  10  shoe  trimming  man- 
ufacturers and  four  of  the  shoe  manufacturers  visited.  In  all,  about 
1,700  were  employed  by  the  14  firms.  As  in  the  case  of  hand-knit  and 
machine-knit  slippers,  baby  shoes,  and  moccasins,  workers  were  secured 
either  by  advertisement  or  by  the  application  of  themselves  or  their 
friends. 

Bates  of  Pay. 

Making  hand-sewed  turn  shoes, $0.15  to  $0.24    a  pair. 

Making  babies'  moccasins, 02|  a  pair. 

Trimming  babies'  moccasins, 02£  a  pair. 

Sewing  and  trimming  machine-knit  slippers,         .       .       .         .  02  to       02£  a  pair. 

Crocheting  worsted  slippers, '.       .       .         .lla  pair. 

Beading  kid  or  satin  slippers, 15  to    1 . 00    a  pan-. 

Making  flat  pump  bows, .05    a  dozen. 

Making  rosettes  of  chiffon  or  satin, 25    a  pair. 


74  HOME   WORK   IN   MASSACHUSETTS 

(2)     THE  LABOR  SUPPLY. 

Many  of  the  workers  belong  to  families  which  have  made  shoemaking 
their  main  business  for  generations  and  are  well  known  to  the  factories, 
so  that  manufacturers  have  no  difficulty  in  securing  a  sufficient  number. 
The  old  New  England  turn  shoe  men  are  now  dying  out  and  many  of 
them  believe  that  their  craft  will  die  with  them;  but  the  work  is  being 
taken  up  by  Italian  immigrants  who  prove  no  less  able  and  are  often 
quicker  workers.  These  latter,  however,  work  in  groups  in  regular  work- 
shops, while  the  New  England  shoemakers  usually  work  alone  and  have 
only  occasionally  been  found  using  workshops  not  connected  with  their 
homes.  Consequently,  while  the  supply  of  labor  for  hand-sewed  turn  shoes 
shows  no  sign  of  decrease,  home  work  on  these  goods  will  probably  dis- 
appear in  a  few  years.  Work  on  hand-sewed  turn  shoes  is  usually  slack 
in  Summer,  a  fact  which  may  be  due  not  so  much  to  industrial  causes  as 
to  the  habits  of  the  workers,  most  of  whom  turn  to  agricultural  or  other 
pursuits  in  the  summer  months  and  work  on  shoes  either  irregularly  or 
not  at  all  at  this  season. 

H.    Hosiery  and  Machine-knit  Goods. 

(1)     THE  INDUSTRY. 

Sixty-eight  knitting  mills 1  in  Massachusetts  are  listed  by  the  Bureau 
of  Statistics,  50  of  which  are  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  State.  The  in- 
dustry centers  in  Metropolitan  Boston,  where  32  of  the  mills  are  located, 
11  of  these  being  in  the  town  of  Needham.  Thirty-seven  knitting  mills 
were  visited,  all  of  which  used  power  machinery,  and  in  addition  three  of 
the  hand-frame  workshops  were  visited.  The  products  of  these  factories 
are  men's,  women's,  and  children's  knit  underwear  and  hosiery;  sweaters, 
caps,  and  mittens;  infants'  coats  and  leggings,  etc.  Home  workers  are 
employed  on  all  of  these  garments  except  men's  knit  underwear. 

Of  the  27  establishments  reporting  home  work,  10  employed  home 
workers  to  finish  sweaters,  six  to  finish  caps,  gloves,  mittens,  and  infants' 
leggings,  and  one  for  both  kinds  of  work.  Six  establishments  had  home 
workers  to  crochet  the  beaded  edging  on  women's  and  children's  underwear. 
One  had  all  of  the  above  processes  performed  at  home.  Two  establish- 
ments had  home  workers  to  mend  men's  half  hose,  one  to  embroider 

>  Includes  establishments  classified  in  the  Annual  Report  on  the  Statistics  of  Manufactures  for  1912  under 
hosiery  and  machine-knit  goods  and  also  under  hand-knit  goods.  Those  establishments  which  are  classified 
in  the  aforementioned  report  under  hand-knit  goods  are  workslnps  in  which  the  product  is  knitted  by  machines 
operated  by  hand  power.  There  are  no  factories  in  Massachusetts  which  make  what  is  commonly  known  as 
hand-knit  goods. 


PLATE  I. 


Fig.  1.  —  Leggings  on  which  "seaming"  is  done  at  home  (43  cents  a  dozen). 

Fig.  2.  —  Hand-embroidered  gown  (embroidering  on  front  and  sleeves,  $1.20  a  dozen). 

Fig.  3.  —Baby's  moccasins  (making,  *%  cents  a  pair;   trimming,  2J-6  cents  a  pair). 

Fig.  4.  —  Hand-frame  knit  glove,  "seaming"  partly  completed  (seaming,  16  cents  a  dozen  pair). 

Fig.  5.  —  Hand-crotcheted  edge  on  union  suit  (30  cents  a  dozen). 


REPORT   ON   WEARING   APPAREL 


75 


"  clocks  "  on  women's  silk  hose,  and  one  to  run  ribbon  through  women's 
underwear.  In  addition,  one  of  the  above  firms  had  a  few  home  workers 
parting  cuffs,  running  rubber  through  knit  belts,  and  making  advertising 
samples. 

The  work  on  sweaters,  leggings,  gloves,  etc.,  is  "  seaming."  l  The 
worker  rips  a  short  strand  of  worsted  from  the  edges  which  are  to  be  joined 
and  threads  it  in  a  blunt  needle.  The  loose  stitches  thus  left  are  then 
worked  together,  making  a  flexible  seam.  The  smooth,  inconspicuous 
seams  in  loosely-knit  garments  are  made  by  hand  in  this  way,  for  the 
machine-made  seam  is  a  hard  ridge.  The  pockets,  collars,  and  cuffs  of 
sweater  coats,  the  feet  and  legs  of  leggings,  and  sometimes  the  joinings  in 
caps,  bonnets,  and  mittens,  are  hand-seamed.  This  process  and  the  em- 
broidering of  "  clocks  "  are  the  most  highly  skilled  of  the  home  processes 
on  machine-knit  goods.  Both  involve  careful  counting  of  stitches  and  are 
trying  to  the  eyes.  The  finishing  of  caps  often  includes  gathering  up  the 
top  and  making  a  clipped  worsted  ball  or  tassel.  This  is  fairly  unskilled 
work  and  is  sometimes  done  by  children.  Clipping  the  worsted  for  the 
tassel  sends  lint  flying  and  is  said  to  affect  the  health  of  the  worker  after 
a  while.  No  other  ill  effects  were  reported  by  workers  on  knit  goods  ex- 
cept the  eye  strain  from  crocheting  and  from  seaming  on  dark  materials. 


Rates  of  Pay. 

Finishing  sweater  coats  (cuffs,  collars), 
Finishing  sweater  coats  (pockets), 
Finishing  leggings  (closed  feet),     .... 
Finishing  leggings  (open  feet  with  straps),  . 

Finishing  mittens, $0.12    to 

Finishing  caps  (with  clipped  tassel),     .         .  12   to 
Crocheting  edges  on  women's  underwear: 

Medium  neck, 

Same,  with  front  opening, 

Low  neck, 

Low  neck  and  arms, 

Crocheting  edges  on  infants'  underwear: 

Shirts, 25    to 

Bands, 25    to 

Mending  men's  half-hose: 

"Bad"  mending, 

Other  mending, 

Threading  ribbon  in  women's  underwear,        .  04§  to 
Threading  rubber  in  knit  belts,      .       .       . 
Embroidering  clocks  on  women's  silk  hose, 


$0.16  each. 
.  40  a  dozen. 

.43  a  dozen  and  upward. 
.36  a  dozen  and  upward. 
.  16  a  dozen  pairs. 
.25  a  dozen. 

.  21  a  dozen. 
.  25  a  dozen. 
.  30  a  dozen. 
.55  a  dozen. 

,45  a  dozen. 

10  a  dozen. 

.  08  a  dozen  pairs. 
.  03  a  dozen  pairs. 

1 1  a  dozen. 

.  17  a  dozen  rows  and  upwards. 
.  50  a  dozen  pairs. 


1  See  Plate  I,  figures  1  and  4,  facing  p.  74. 


76  HOME   WORK   IN   MASSACHUSETTS 

(2)     THE  LABOR  SUPPLY. 

The  27  manufacturers  of  hosiery  and  machine-knit  goods  who  give  out 
home  work  reported  all  together  1,544  home  workers.  The  labor  supply 
is  ample  for  every  kind  of  work  given  out  from  the  knitting  mills.  In 
most  cases  home  workers  are  secured  through  agents  or  by  other  workers. 
The  heads  of  the  numerous  small  firms  and  hand-frame  workshops  give  out 
work  directly  to  their  relatives  and  neighbors.  The  busy  season  in  this 
industry  extends  through  the  Winter,  but  there  is  no  marked  dull  period, 
as  the  seasons  for  knitting  summer  and  winter  garments  follow  closely 
upon  one  another. 

The  knitting-frame  and  its  successor,  the  power  knitting-machine,  have 
to  some  extent  superseded  the  home  work  of  the  hand-knitter,  but  at  the 
same  time  they  have  created  a  new  home  industry,  the  hand-finishing  of 
machine-knit  goods.  Before  circular  knitting-machines  were  introduced,  the 
fingers  of  machine-knit  gloves  always  had  to  be  seamed  up  by  hand ; 1  before 
the  double-shell  machine  was  perfected,  all  edgings  and  trimmings  of  the 
machine  product  had  to  be  put  on  by  hand ; 1  and  hand  work  was  required 
to  pick  up  the  dropped  stitches  and  mend  the  holes  left  by  the  imperfect 
early  machines.  In  those  localities  where  the  old  frames  are  still  in  use 
the  knitter's  whole  family  is  often  employed  in  hand-finishing  the  product 
of  his  few  machines.  As  knitting  machinery  becomes  more  perfect,  less 
and  less  hand  work  is  necessary  upon  each  garment ;  but  the  output  is  so 
enormously  increased  that  the  number  of  hand-finishers  grows  larger  rather 
than  smaller.  The  three  original  home  processes  of  seaming,  trimming, 
and  mending  are  still  in  evidence,  although  in  some  cases  no  longer  re- 
quired in  order  to  produce  a  well-made  article;  for  home  work  will  con- 
tinue to  characterize  the  industry  so  long  as  the  word  "  hand-finished  "  is 
accepted  by  the  consumer  as  a  hall-mark  of  quality. 

Work  on  machine-knit  goods  is  distributed  directly  from  the  factory 
or  by  contractors  who  receive  a  fixed  commission  from  the  manufacturer. 

I.    Suspenders,  Garters,  and  Elastic  Woven  Goods. 

(1)     THE  INDUSTRY. 

Thirty-two  firms  were  engaged  in  manufacturing  suspenders,  garters, 
and  elastic  woven  goods  in  Massachusetts.  Nearly  all  of  these  were 
located  in  the  Eastern  half  of  the  State;  eight  were  in  Boston,  five  in 
Worcester,  five  in  Chelsea,  four  in  Easthampton,  and  10  in  nine  other 

i  Soe  Plate  I,  figure  4,  facing  p.  74. 


REPORT   ON   WEARING   APPAREL  77 

cities  and  towns.     Of  the  six  firms  reporting  home  work,  three  were  in 
Worcester  and  three  in  Boston. 

The  products  of  these  factories  are  suspenders,  garters,  hose  supporters, 
belts,  and  razor  strops;  elastic  webbing,  cords,  braids,  corset  bandages, 
trusses,  and  shoe  gores,  and  all  kinds  of  narrow  elastic  fabrics  and  webs. 
The  work  given  out  by  the  six  establishments  reporting  home  work  is 
almost  entirely  confined  to  stringing  buttons  and  loops  on  non-elastic 
webbing  and  stringing  buckles  on  elastic  webbing  for  hose  supporters  and 
garters.  Occasionally  pasting  pads  for  suspenders  is  included. 

Stringing  buttons,  buckles,  and  loops  on  webbing  is  very  easy  and  re- 
quires no  training.  Children  do  it  more  rapidly  than  adults.  The  worker 
needs  only  to  be  instructed  how  far  to  slip  these  on  the  webbing  so  as  to 
leave  just  the  right  amount  to  be  turned  under  and  stitched  in  the  factory. 
A  few  workers  complain  that  the  buckles  cut  their  fingers,  especially  when 
the  webbing  is  a  little  too  wide  for  the  buckle.  There  seem  to  be  no  other 
ill  effects  upon  health  except  when  children  are  kept  working  till  late  at 
night.  The  rate  of  pay  is  said  to  be  determined  on  the  basis  of  10  cents 
an  hour. 

Pasting  suspender  pads  is  also  easy  work.  The  firm  sends  out  card- 
board and  cloth  cut  to  the  proper  size  and  shape  and  the  worker  pastes  the 
cloth  on  the  cardboard  and  turns  it  under  neatly  around  the  edge.  This 
work  is  usually  done  by  machinery  in  the  factory,  but  sometimes  a  new 
style  or  shape  can  not  be  done  on  the  machines  and  so  is  sent  out  to  home 
workers. 

Rates  of  Pay. l 
Stringing  buttons  on  non-elastic  webbing,     ....    $0.07-$0.08  a  gross  pair. 

Stringing  buckles  on  elastic  webbing, .  16  a  gross  pair. 

Stringing  loops  on  elastic  webbing, .20  a  gross  pair. 

Pasting  pads  for  suspenders, .03  a  dozen. 

(2)     THE  LABOR  SUPPLY. 

The  six  establishments  employing  home  labor  reported  92  names  upon 
their  pay-rolls.  It  was  found  in  the  course  of  the  agent's  visits  that  21  of 
these  names  represented  51  persons  actually  engaged  upon  the  work  given 
out  to  these  21.  Assuming  the  same  proportion  of  group  workers  for  other 
pay-rolls,  the  92  names  reported  represent  a  total  of  223  workers,  or  32.2 
per  cent  of  the  total  number  of  workers  employed  by  the  six  firms.  The 
securing  of  a  sufficient  number  of  home  workers  in  this  industry  occasions 
no  difficulty,  as  the  work  is  easy  and  clean  and  can  be  carried  about  from 

1  The  workers  stated  that  a  gross  means  a  double  gross,  so  that  a  gross  pair  means  576. 


78  HOME   WORK   IN   MASSACHUSETTS 

place  to  place.  Many  of  the  workers  are  factory  employees  and  their  rela- 
tives or  friends.  Children  apply  for  this  work  in  vacation  and  some  of 
them  do  a  little  after  school  during  the  school  year. 

Although  two  manufacturers  reported  a  marked  shift  in  their  home 
labor  force,  their  pay-rolls  showed  slight  irregularity  in  the  number  at 
work  from  month  to  month  or  in  the  amounts  paid  them,  and  the  workers 
reported  that  they  could  secure  work  the  year  round  if  they  so  desired. 
Many  children  work  during  the  summer  vacation  when  adults  are  likely 
to  take  less  home  work  or  to  drop  it  altogether. 

The  home  work  product  in  this  industry  is  an  unfinished  one  and 
merely  prepares  for  the  factory  work  which  is  itself  an  intermediate  proc- 
ess in  the  case  of  the  hose  supporter  firms  which  sell  to  the  corset  manu- 
facturers hose  supporters  ready  to  be  stitched  on  corsets. 

Two  of  the  firms  reporting  home  work  have  given  out  the  work  regu- 
larly since  they  began  business  somewhat  less  than  10  years  ago.  Two 
others,  established  before  that  time,  have  introduced  home  work  within 
the  last  10  years.  On  the  other  hand,  one  large  establishment  formerly 
employing  many  home  workers  has  discontinued  the  practice  and  arranged 
its  work  in  such  a  way  as  to  keep  the  inside  force  busy  the  whole  year. 
One  firm  gives  out  home  work  only  when  it  would  not  pay  to  install  a  new 
machine  for  a  passing  style. 

The  only  contractor  found  in  this  industry  receives  a  commission  of 
33%  per  cent  of  the  price  paid  the  worker  as  remuneration  for  carrying 
the  work  back  and  forth  and  instructing  the  workers.  All  other  work  is 
given  out  directly  from  the  factory,  the  workers  calling  for  it  once  daily, 
or  oftener,  and  paying  car  fare,  if  necessary.  In  all  cases  the  manufac- 
turer sets  the  rate,  supposedly  on  the  basis  of  factory  rates.  One  manu- 
facturer stated  that  his  standard  was  10  cents  an  hour.  Few  home  workers 
were  found,  however,  who  could  earn  that  amount. 

J.    Other  Wearing  Apparel. 

Twenty-one  manufacturers  of  other  kinds  of  wearing  apparel  were 
interviewed,  14  in  person  and  seven  by  letter.  The  former  were  located 
in  Boston,  Worcester,  Springfield,  and  Foxborough,  and  the  latter  in 
Boston,  Westborough,  and  Foxborough.  Eight  of  the  21  reported  home 
work.  Their  products  are  canvas  and  kid  gloves,  straw  hats,  and  hand- 
knit  goods.  Those  reporting  no  home  work  included  six  manufacturers  of 
corsets  and  ostrich  feathers  and  one  buttonhole  maker. 


REPORT   ON  WEARING   APPAREL  79 

( 1 )     GLOVES. 

Six  establishments  were  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  gloves  in 
Massachusetts.  Five  of  these  were  in  Boston  and  one  in  Brockton.  Three 
employed  home  workers.  One  factory  in  Gloversville,  New  York,  em- 
ployed a  few  home  workers  in  Massachusetts.  Two  of  the  three  factories 
reporting  home  work  manufactured  men's  and  women's  kid  gloves. 
The  third  manufactured  workingmen's  canvas  and  flannel  gloves. 

Home  workers  stitch  the  kid  gloves  on  a  gauge  machine  such  as  is 
used  in  glove  factories.  The  canvas  gloves  are  made  inside  out  on  an 
ordinary  sewing  machine;  the  wrist  hands  are  of  knitting  mill  waste  and 
the  gloves  are  sometimes  lined  with  flannel. 

Rates  of  Pay. 

Making  leather  gloves, $0.80  to  $1.35  a  dozen  pairs. 

About  four  hours  are  required  to  make  a  dozen  pairs  at  $1.10. 

Making  canvas  gloves: 

Light  canvas, 15  a  dozen  pairs. 

Heavy  canvas, 17  a  dozen  pairs. 

About  two  hours  are  required  to  make  a  dozen  pairs  at  $0.15. 

Women  who  have  not  heen  trained  in  a  glove  factory  can  not  do  kid- 
glove  making  at  home,  consequently  the  supply  of  home  workers  is  strictly 
limited.  Only  two  Massachusetts  manufacturers  send  out  such  work,  and 
together  employ  only  about  10  home  workers.  These  workers  have  been 
brought  up  in  the  glove  industry  and  most  of  them  come  from  Gloversville, 
N.  Y.,  where  home  work  on  gloves  is  general.  Owing  to  the  scarcity  of  the 
labor  supply  and  the  skilled  nature  of  the  work,  they  are  able  to  command 
high  wages  in  Massachusetts.  Canvas  glove  makers,  on  the  other  hand,  do 
arduous  but  comparatively  simple  work  which  requires  no  special  equip- 
ment ;  consequently,  they  can  easily  be  secured  or  replaced  by  advertising 
in  the  newspapers.  One  manufacturer  reported  that  he  employed  about 
15  canvas  glove  makers.  It  is  not  known  to  what  extent  home  work  on 
workingmen's  gloves  is  done  in  Massachusetts,  for  many  of  the  employers 
who  advertise  for  home  workers  in  Boston  papers  are  located  in  other 
States,  No  seasonal  fluctuations  occur  in  the  manufacture  of  gloves. 
Home  work  on  gloves  is  supplementary  to  factory  work,  and  is  only  given 
out  where  inside  help  can  not  be  secured.  Materials  for  glove  making  do 
not  pass  through  the  hands  of  contractors,  but  are  always  distributed 
directly  from  the  factory  to  the  workers. 


80  HOME   WORK   IN    MASSACHUSETTS 


(2)     STRAW  HATS. 

The  straw  hat  industry  of  Massachusetts  was  first  established  in  Fox- 
borough,  where  hats  have  been  made  since  the  early  nineteenth  century. 
Home  work  was  characteristic  of  the  industry  until  recently,  but  at  the 
present  time  only  two  out  of  19  establishments  in  Massachusetts  are  regu- 
larly employing  home  workers.  Hat  factories  usually  devote  the  Summer 
entirely  to  the  manufacture  of  felt  goods  for  the  coming  Winter,  conse- 
quently, no  straw  braid  whatever  is  sent  out  to  the  home  workers  from 
April  until  October.  The  object  of  employing  home  workers  on  straw 
reeling  is  to  save  space  which  would  otherwise  have  to  be  given  up  to  a 
highly  seasonal,  unskilled  operation  not  requiring  the  use  of  mechanical 
power. 

The  chief  operation  performed  by  home  workers  on  straw  hats  is 
mending  and  reeling  braided  straw  or  chip  before  it  goes  to  the  machine 
operators  who  stitch  it  into  hat  shapes  in  the  factory.  Straw  hat  braid  is 
imported  in  the  form  of  skeins  of  varying  quality,  some  skeins  being  full 
of  breaks  and  weak  places  while  others  are  in  unbroken  lengths.  These 
are  delivered  to  the  home  workers  in  bundles  of  100  at  a  time.  Each 
worker  is  provided  by  the  factory  with  a  reel  and  swift,  which  are  a  pair 
of  wooden  winding  wheels  resembling  spinning-wheels  but  turned  entirely 
by  hand.  Between  reel  and  swift  sits  the  "  reeler "  who  unwinds  the 
straw  or  chip  from  the  reel  to  the  swift,  rebraids  and  mends  it  wherever 
a  break  appears,  ties  each  coil  in  three  places  as  she  takes  it  off  the  swift, 
and  finally  binds  up  the  coils  in  bundles  of  100. 

Rates  of  Pay.  —  The  most  usual  rate  of  pay  is  one  cent  a  skein.  As 
mending  and  winding  a  skein  may  take  any  period  of  time  from  a  few 
seconds  to  10  minutes,  the  hourly  earnings  are  variable,  usually,  however, 
averaging  about  15  cents. 

(3)     HAND-KNIT  GOODS. 

The  manufacture  of  hand-knit  goods  is  not  carried  on  in  factories  in 
Massachusetts.1  The  articles  are  usually  made  by  home  workers  in  the 
employ  of  wholesale  and  retail  stores  and  fancy  goods  manufacturers. 
Hand-knit  goods  include  aviation  caps,  automobile  bonnets,  infants'  coats, 
and  other  small  articles.  Hand-knit  shoes  have  already  been  mentioned  in 
connection  with  home  work  on  shoes.  The  four  establishments  giving  out 

1  Those  establishments  which  are  classified  under  "hand-knit  goods"  in  the  annual  reports  of  the  Bureau  of 
Statistics  on  the  Statistics  of  Manufactures  are  establishments  in  which  knit  goods  are  made  by  machines  op- 
erated by  hand. 


REPORT   ON   WEARING   APPAREL  81 

this  kind  of  work  include  a  department  store,  a  hosiery  shop,  a  wholesale 
dry  goods  house,  and  a  fancy  neckwear  workroom. 

The  work  is  mostly  crocheted  with  fine  or  coarse  yarn.  Making  avia- 
tion caps  is  very  simple.  Infants'  coats  require  more  skill  and  care, 
especially  where  two  colors  are  used. 

Rates  of  Pay. 
Aviation  Caps,  two  sizes : 

Rates  to  home  worker, $0 . 65  and  $0 . 30  a  dozen. 

Rates  to  contractor, .75  and      .  35  a  dozen. 

Retail  prices, .75  and      .  50  each. 

About  one  hour  is  required  to  make  the  small  sized  cap  at  $0.30  a  dozen. 

Crocheted  Infants'  Jackets: 

Rate  to  home  worker, $2 . 75  a  dozen. 

Wholesale  price, 9 . 00  a  dozen. 

Retail  price, •    .       .       .       .  1 . 50  each. 

Crocheted  Slippers : 

Rate  to  home  worker, $0.30  a  dozen  pah's. 

Rate  to  contractor, .  .40  a  dozen  pairs. 

Retail  price, .25  a  pair. 

About  one  hour  is  required  to  make  a  pair  and  a  half. 

The  four  establishments  reporting  home  work  on  hand-knit  goods  em- 
ployed altogether  about  300  home  workers.  The  number  could  be  esti- 
mated only  with  difficulty,  as  most  of  this  work  was  distributed  through 
contractors.  Workers  are  secured  by  advertisements  in  the  newspapers 
and  by  inquiries  of  contractors  among  their  personal  acquaintances.  In 
spite  of  the  low  rates  the  work  is  popular  because  it  is  pleasant  and  easily 
handled. 

The  demand  for  hand-knit  goods  is  strictly  seasonal,  but  in  many  cases 
the  home  workers  who  make  hand-knit  goods  during  the  Autumn  and 
early  Winter  are  employed  on  fancy  neckwear  at  the  Christmas  season 
and  in  the  Spring,  passing  naturally  from  the  crocheting  of  wool  caps  to 
the  crocheting  of  lace  bows  and  jabots.  Both  kinds  of  work  are  distributed 
by  the  same  contractors. 

Nearly  all  of  the  work  on  hand-knit  goods  passes  through  the  hands 
of  contractors,  probably  for  two  reasons :  First ,  the  yarn  of  which  the  gar- 
ments are  made  is  a  fairly  valuable  material  and  home  workers  are  said 
to  be  apt  to  keep  it  and  not  do  the  work,  unless  carefully  supervised.  One 
manufacturer  who  distributed  the  work  directly  tried  to  avoid  this  difficulty 
by  requiring  a  50-cent  deposit  of  all  women  taking  out  work,  but  he  re- 


82 


HOME   WORK   IN   MASSACHUSETTS 


ported  that  in  spite  of  this  his  losses  were  considerable.  Second,  a  large 
part  of  the  labor  force  is  made  up  of  immigrants,  mostly  Armenians,  who 
are  particularly  fitted  for  such  work,  often  because  they  learned  to  do  it  in 
the  Turkish  schools  and  these  people  can  most  easily  be  dealt  with  through 
a  middle  woman  of  their  own  race.  Of  the  four  contractors  interviewed, 
three  gave  out  also  fancy  neckwear  and  Irish  lace  work,  thus  combining 
two  seasonal  industries  which  partly  supplement  and  partly  overlap  each 
other.  Two  of  the  four  were  Armenians. 


K.    The  Worker. 

(1)     SEX  AND  AGE. 

Home  work  on  Wearing  Apparel  is  predominantly  women's  work.  The 
following  table  indicates  the  comparatively  small  numbers  of  men  and  of 
children  employed. 

TABLE  34.  —  Sex  and  Age  of  Home  Workers  on  Wearing  Apparel. 


AGE  GROUPS. 

MALES 

FEMALES 

BOTH  SSXKS 

Number 

Percent- 
ages! 

Number 

Percent- 
ages i 

Number 

Percent- 
sees' 

All  Ages. 

Under  five  years, 
Five  years  and  under  10, 
10  years  and  under  14, 
14  years  and  under  16, 
16  years  and  under  18, 

84 

1 
3 
2 

1 

2 
2 

3 
1 

16 
2 

100.0 

3.1 
9.4 
6.3 

sTi 

3J 

6.3 
6.3 

9?3 
3.1 

50.0 

762 

3 
24 
23 
18 
31 
49 
83 
98 
99 
80 
70 
47 
36 
72 
29  > 

100.0 

0?4 
3.3 
3.1 
2.5 
4.2 
6.7 
11.3 
13.4 
13.5 
10.9 
9.6 
6.4 
4.9 
9.8 

M 

4 
27 
25 
18 
31 
50 
83 
99 
101 
82 
70 
50 
37 
88 
31* 

100.0 

oTs 

3.6 
3.3 

2.4 
4.1 
6.5 
10.9 
12.9 
13.2 
10.7 
9.2 
6.5 
4.8 
11.5 

21  years  and  under  25,        

30  years  and  under  35,        

45  years  and  under  50  

55  years  and  under  60  

Age  not  reported  

»  The  percentages  in  this  table  are  computed  on  the  basis  of  the  number  reporting. 
*  Includes  four  females  under  16  yean  of  age,  whose  exact  ages  were  not  reported. 

The  765  home  workers  who  furnished  information  as  to  age  and  sex  in- 
cluded only  32  males  and  only  31  children  under  14.  Twenty-one  of  the 
32  males  were  engaged  in  shoemaking,  the  only  home  process  on  Wearing 
Apparel  which  requires  masculine  strength;  the  remaining  11  assisted 
their  wives  or  mothers  in  various  unskilled  processes,  such  as  creasing  shirt 
facings  or  winding  straw  braid,  during  spare  time.  The  reason  for  the 
small  proportion  of  children  employed  is  probably  to  be  found  not  in  the 
nature  of  the  work,  for  much  of  it  is  entirely  unskilled,  but  rather  in  the 
fact  that,  as  a  class,  Massachusetts  home  workers  on  Wearing  Apparel  are 


REPORT    ON   WEARING    APPAREL 


83 


economically  above  the  need  for  child  labor  in  the  home.  Children  are, 
however,  extensively  used  to  carry  bundles  of  home  work  to  and  from  the 
factory. 

It  will  be  seen  that  here,  as  in  other  industries  studied,  the  age  of 
home  workers  centered  round  the  group  "  35  years  and  under  40 ",  but 
that  the  proportion  of  children  under  14  was  appreciably  less  in  this 
group  of  industries,  and  that  the  proportion  of  persons  60  years  of  age 
and  over  was  larger,  comprising  no  less  than  11.5  per  cent  of  the  total 
number  visited,  as  compared  with  a  corresponding  percentage  of  8.2  for 
all  industries.  The  home  worker  on  Wearing  Apparel  was  found  to  be,  as 
a  rule,  the  wife  and  mother,  living  at  home  and  keeping  house,  a  wage- 
earner  only  in  what  she  terms  her  leisure  time.  Less  than  one-fifth  of 
the  women  16  years  of  age  and  over  were  single,  while  two-thirds  were 
married ;  the  remainder  —  slightly  less  than  one-sixth  —  were  widowed, 
separated,  divorced,  or  deserted. 

(2)     SCHOOL  ATTENDANCE*. 

The  following  table  shows  the  number  of  children  under  18  years  of 
age  by  specified  age  groups  attending  and  not  attending  school. 

TABLE  35.  —  School  Attendance  of  Home  Workers  on  Wearing  Apparel:  By  Age  and 

Sex. 


AQB  GBOUPS. 

NUMBER  OP 
MALES  — 

NUMBER  OF 
FEMALES  — 

NUMBER  or 
BOTH  SEXES  — 

In 

School 

Not  in 
School 

In 
School 

Not  in 
School 

In 
School 

Not  in 
School 

Under  18  years. 
Five  years  and  under  10  

6 

1 
3 
2 

- 

61 

3 
24 
21 
9 
4 

11 

2 
9 

67 

4 
27 
23 
9 
4 

11 

2 
9 

14  years  and  under  16  
16  years  and  under  18,        
Under  16  years,  exact  age  not  reported,     . 

It  will  be  seen  from  the  above  table  that  only  a  small  number  of  per- 
sons under  18,  who  were  working  at  home  on  Wearing  Apparel,  reported 
that  they  were  not  attending  school  at  the  same  time,  and  none  of  those 
out  of  school  were  less  than  14  years  of  age.  The  fact  of  school  attendance 
alone,  however,  does  not  register  the  effect  which  home  work  may  have 
upon  a  child's  educational  opportunity,  as  is  emphasized  elsewhere  in  this 
report.  Where  short  hours  of  sleep  and  indoor  confinement  characterize 
the  work  of  minors  in  this  industry,  it  is  safe  to  assume  that  the  most 
regular  school  attendance  may  fail  to  secure  for  the  pupils  even  normal 
advancement 


84 


HOME   WORK   IN   MASSACHUSETTS 


(3)     EARNINGS  AND  INCOMES. 
(a)     Annual  Earnings  from  Home  Work. 

The  annual  earnings  of  home  workers  were  obtained  from  the  pay- 
rolls of  the  manufacturers,  and  the  number  of  persons  earning  the  amounts 
paid  by  the  manufacturers  was  made  known  when  the  person  in  whose 
name  the  work  was  taken  out  was  interviewed.  The  data  here  presented 
are  for  home  workers  who  were  employed  during  the  year  preceding  the 
date  the  pay-rolls  were  obtained  and  also  for  those  home  workers  who 
received  payments  for  nine  months  or  more  of  the  year. 

TABLE  36.  —  Number  of  Families  of  Home  Workers  on  Wearing  Apparel  Earning  each 

Classified  Amount  a  Year. 


NUMBER  OF  WORKERS 
IN  FAMILIES. 

Total 
Num- 
ber of 
Fam- 
ilies 

Num- 
ber re- 
port- 
ing 
Earn- 
ings 

NUMBER  OF  FAMILIES  EARNING  A  YEAR  — 

Less 
than 
$25 

$25 
to 
$49.99 

$50 
to 

$99.99 

$100 
to 
$149.99 

$150 
to 
$199.99 

$200 
to 
$249.99 

$250 
to 
$299.99 

$300 
and 
over 

All  Families. 

One  worker. 
Two  workers,    . 
Three  workers, 
Four  workers,  . 
Five  workers,    . 

645 

530 
90 
17 
5 
3 

427 

342 
66 
11 
5 
3 

117 

95 
16 
3 
2 
1 

76 

65 
11 

105 

85 
16 
3 
1 

61 

46 
12 
2 

1 

32 

23 
4 
2 
2 

1 

10 

9 

1 

9 

7 
2 

17 

12 
4 

1 

Families  of  Home  Workers  employed  for  Nine  Months  or  Over. 


All  Families. 

m 

213 

7 

25 

65 

49 

32 

9 

9 

17 

One  worker, 

_ 

167 

6 

21 

53 

37 

23 

8 

7 

12 

Two  workers,    . 

_ 

35 

_ 

4 

10 

10 

4 

1 

2 

4 

Three  workers, 

- 

6 

1 

1 

1 

2 

Four  workers,  . 

_ 

3 

ft 

_ 

1 

— 

2 

— 

. 

m 

Five  workers,   . 

~ 

2 

— 

™ 

1 

1 

~ 

"" 

— 

TABLE  37.  —  Percentage  of  Families  of  Home  Workers  on  Wearing  Apparel  Earning  less 

than  Specified  Amount  a  Year. 


NUMBER  OF  WORKERS 
IN  FAMILIES. 

Total 
Num- 
ber of 
Fam- 
ilies 

Num- 
ber re- 
port- 
ing 
Earn- 
ings 

PERCENTAGE  OF  FAMILIES  EARNING  A  YEAR  — 

Less 
than 

$25 

Less 
than 
$50 

Less 
than 
$100 

Less 
than 
$150 

Less 
than 
$200 

Less 
than 
$250 

Less 
than 

$300 

Less 
than 
$350 

All  Families. 

One  worker, 
Two  workers,    . 
Three  workers, 
Four  workers,  . 
Five  workers,    . 

645 

530 
90 
17 
6 
3 

427 

342 
66 
11 
5 
3 

27.4 

27.8 
24.2 
27.3 
40.0 
33.3 

45.2 

46.8 
40.9 
27.3 
40.0 
33.3 

69.8 

71.6 
65.2 
54.5 
60.0 
33.3 

84.1 

85.1 
83.3 

72.7 
60.0 
66.7 

91.6 

91.8 
89.4 
90.9 
100.0 
100.0 

93.9 

94.4 
90.9 
90.9 
100.0 
100.0 

96.0 

96.5 
93.9 
90.9 
100.0 
100.0 

97.4 

98.2 
93.9 
90.9 
100.0 
100.0 

Families  of  Home  Workers  Employed  for  Nine  Months  or  Over. 


All  Families. 

_ 

213 

3.3 

15.0 

45.5 

68.5 

83.6 

87.8 

92.0 

94.8 

One  worker, 

_ 

167 

3.6 

16.2 

47.9 

70.1 

83.8 

88.6 

92.8 

96.4 

Two  workers,    . 

_ 

35 

11.4 

40.0 

68.6 

80.0 

82.9 

88.6 

88.6 

Three  workers, 

_ 

6 

16.7 

16.7 

33.3 

50.0 

83.3 

82.3 

83.3 

83.3 

Four  workers,  . 

_ 

3 

33.3 

33.3 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

Five  workers,    . 

— 

2 

— 

— 

50.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

REPORT   ON   WEARING   APPAREL 


85 


The  majority  of  the  home  workers  on  Wearing  Apparel,  69.8  per  cent, 
earned  less  than  $100  in  the  year  at  home  work,  while  27.4  per  cent  earned 
less  than  $25.  Home  work  earnings  in  this  industry  rarely  exceeded 
$300  for  the  year,  barely  4.0  per  cent  having  this  amount  or  more.  Only 
three  families  earned  $500  or  over.  In  two  of  these  families  the  home 
workers  were  turn  shoemakers,1  one  worked  with  an  assistant  and  the  other 
was  helped  by  his  wife.  The  third  was  a  girl  worker  who  stitched  chil- 
dren's rompers  on  a  sewing  machine,  with  the  help  of  her  two  sisters. 
These  workers  gave  their  whole  working  time  to  home  work. 

Home  work  on  Wearing  Apparel,  although  on  the  whole  better  paid 
than  some  home  industries,  is  not  so  profitable  that  women  without  other 
means  of  support  would  be  likely  to  take  it  up.  "  They  take  up  this  work," 
said  a  manufacturer  who  knew  her  home  workers  intimately,  "  like  you 
or  I  might  pick  up  a  book  and  read  it,  and  I  pay  them  accordingly." 

(&)     Incomes  from  All  Sources. 

Information  as  to  income  was  obtained  from  the  workers,  and  their 
home-work  earnings  were  copied  from  the  pay-rolls  of  the  41  factories 
employing  them. 

The  following  table  shows  the  family  incomes  and  home-work  earnings, 
for  the  12  months  preceding  the  date  the  pay-rolls  were  obtained  from 
the  manufacturers,  of  families  having  one  or  more  home  workers  on  Wear- 
ing Apparel. 

TABLE  38.  —  Annual  Earnings  of  Families  from  Home  Work  on  Wearing  Apparel  and 

Incomes  from  Other  Sources. 


NUMBER  HAVING  ANNUAL  INCOME  EXCLUSIVE  OF  HOME 

TV* 

Total 

WORK  or  — 

.De- 
pend- 

ANNUAL EARNINGS 
FBOM  HOME  WORK. 

Num- 
ber of 
Fam- 

Under 

$50 
and 

$250 
and 

$500 
and 

$750 
and 

$1,000 
and 

$1,250 

Not 

ent  on 
Home 
Work 

ilies 

$50 

under 

under 

under 

under 

under 

and 

Stated 

Exclu- 

$250 

$500 

$750 

$1,000 

$1,250 

Over 

sively 

All  Families. 

645 

1 

28 

101 

150 

105 

53 

48 

129 

SO 

Under  $25, 

117 

— 

2 

16 

22 

21 

14 

12 

30 

_ 

$25  and  under    $50, 

76 

_ 

3 

7 

18 

15 

5 

6 

21 

j 

$50  and  under  $100, 

105 

_ 

3 

9 

27 

26 

11 

9 

16 

4 

$100  and  under  $150, 

61 

„ 

1 

12 

15 

9 

8 

5 

9 

2 

$150  and  under  $200, 

32 

_ 

4 

4 

3 

7 

2 

3 

7 

2 

$200  and  under  $250, 

10 

_ 

2 

2 

1 

1 

2 

2 

$250  and  under  $300, 

9 

1 

2 

_ 

1 

1 

4 

$300  and  under  $350, 

6 

_ 

1 

_ 

_ 

1 

4 

$350  and  under  $400, 

6 

_ 

1 

_ 

_ 

_ 

_ 

2 

3 

$400  and  under  $450, 

2 

_ 

_ 

_ 

_ 

_ 

_ 

$500  and  over, 

3 

_ 

_ 

_ 

1 

1 

_ 

_ 

_ 

1 

Earnings  not  reported, 

218 

- 

10 

51 

62 

26 

12 

12 

39 

6 

1  One  of  these  turn  shoe  workers  was  entirely  dependent  upon  home  work,  having  no  other  income. 


86  HOME   WORK   IN   MASSACHUSETTS 

Nearly  three-fourths  of  the  families  furnishing  information  had  an 
annual  income  of  at  least  $500,  exclusive  of  home  work;  considerably  more 
than  one-third  had  $750  or  over;  and  one-fifth  had  at  least  $1,000. 
Information  as  to  the  number  in  the  families  was  not  available. 

(c)     Hourly  Earnings.1 

The  number  of  home  workers  on  Wearing  Apparel  from  whom  in- 
formation as  to  hourly  earnings  was  secured  was  434.  Of  this  number 
303  reported  hourly  earnings  of  less  than  10  cents  and  173  reported  less 
than  six  cents.  There  were  112  workers  who  earned  10  cents  or  more  an 
hour  but  only  18  of  these  earned  20  cents  and  over.  The  lowest  hourly 
earnings  were  those  of  the  workers  on  Hosiery  and  Machine-knit  Goods, 
on  Men's  Coats  and  Pants,  and  on  Shoes  (other  than  turn  shoes) ;  about 
one-half  of  these  workers  received  hourly  earnings  of  less  than  seven  cents. 
Among  the  workers  on  Men's  Coats  and  Pants  41.7  per  cent  earned  five 
cents  and  less,  while  21.7  per  cent  earned  10  cents  and  over.  Work  on 
Men's  Shirts  and  Pajamas  and  Neckwear  appeared  to  be  relatively  well- 
paid  home  work.  Forty-eight  home  workers  on  shoes  reported  as  to  their 
hourly  earnings.  Of  this  number,  25  were  earning  five  cents  and  less, 
while  13  were  earning  15  cents  and  over,  but  only  10  were  earning  more 
than  five  cents  and  less  than  15  cents.  These  returns  reflect  the  division 
of  the  home  shoe  workers  into  two  well-marked  groups  —  the  makers  and 
trimmers  of  babies'  moccasins,  who  are  low-paid  "  leisure-time  workers," 
and  the  turn  shoe  workmen,  the  best  paid  of  all  home  workers  on  Wearing 
Apparel.  Sixty-three  home  workers  on  shoe  trimmings  who  reported  on 
this  point  included  only  21  earning  five  cents  and  less,  while  over  one- 
half  of  them  (32)  were  earning  more  than  five  cents  and  less  than  10  cents, 
but  only  10  were  earning  10  cents  or  over. 

The  fact  that  only  112,  or  about  one-third  of  the  Wearing  Apparel 
workers  interviewed,  made  more  than  10  cents  an  hour  is  significant.  It 
shows  that  even  by  working  54  hours  a  week  but  few  of  these  home  workers 
could  make  as  much  as  $5.40  a  week,  and  this  estimate  does  not  take  into 
account  possibilities  of  seasonal  or  other  non-employment 

1  See  Table  23,  pp.  48  and  43,  ante,  on  Hourly  Earnings  of  Home  Workers:    By  Industries. 


REPORT   ON    WEARING   APPAREL 


87 


(4)     EXTENT  AND  CAUSES  OF  NON-EMPLOYMENT. 
The  following  table  shows  the  extent  and  the  causes  of  non-employ- 
ment. 


TABLE  39.  —  Extent  and  Causes  of  Non-employment  for  Families  of  Home  Workers 

on  Wearing  Apparel. 


XT,,  ,>,  U  rt- 

NUMBER  NOT  EMPLOYED  — 

Number 
who 

G*.     -*     J 

CAUSES  OF  NON-EMPLOYMENT. 

Total 

Number 
of 
Families 

rsumber 
Em- 
ployed 
12 
months 

Less 
than 
Three 
Months 

Threa 
Months 
and  Less 
than 
Six 

Six 
Months 
and  Less 
than 
Kine 

Nine 
Months 
and  Less 
than  12 

Number 
of 
Months 
not 
reported 

started 
Home 
Work 
after 
begin- 
ning of 
Year 

All  Causes. 

645 

175 

90 

106 

109 

51 

37 

77 

Enforced  idleness  due  to  en  indus- 

trial co  use. 

207 

_ 

68 

64 

65 

25 

6 

_ 

Dull  season, 

183 

_ 

54 

56 

46 

23 

4 

_ 

Other  employment. 

12 

- 

2 

2 

5 

2 

1 

- 

Strike, 

12 

— 

2 

6 

4 

— 

— 

» 

Illness,    . 

52 

_ 

7 

SO 

16 

4 

f 

_ 

Voluntary  idleness, 

68 

_ 

11 

IS 

tl 

8 

1 

_ 

Change  of  residence, 

3 

_ 

1 

1 

1 

_ 

Started  home  work  after  beginning 

of  year,     . 

77 

_ 

_ 

— 

• 

— 

_ 

77 

Other 

g 

^ 

g 

^ 

3 

i 

w 

Employed  twelve  months 

175 

175 

_ 

T 

_ 

_ 

Causes  not  reported, 

64 

~ 

IS 

8 

IS 

9 

2t 

~ 

Five  hundred  and  eighty-one  families  of  home  workers  on  Wearing 
Apparel  reported  as  to  the  extent  and  cause  of  non-employment  during 
the  year.  Of  this  number,  207  were  out  of  work  part  of  the  year  on  ac- 
count of  industrial  causes,  usually  dull  season,  58  were  voluntarily  idle, 
and  52  remained  out  of  work  through  illness. 


HOME   WORK   IN   MASSACHUSETTS 


2.    JEWELRY  AND  SILVERWARE 

BY  MARGAEET  HUTTON  ABELS 

A.    Introductory. 

Rhode  Island,  Massachusetts,  New  York,  and  Connecticut  have  corne 
to  be  the  leading  States  in  the  Union  in  the  manufacture  of  jewelry.  In 
Boston,  in  revolutionary  times,  the  Revere  family  did  a  thriving  business 
as  gold  and  silversmiths.  A  little  later,  in  North  Attleborough,  a  French- 
man, remembered  only  as  "the  foreigner"  and  Serile  Dodge  in  Provi- 
dence, were  making  breastpins,  ear-drops,  watch  keys,  and  silver  spoons. 
When  Nehemiah  Dodge,  the  pioneer  of  jewelry  manufacture  in  the  modern 
sense,  introduced  machinery  and  invented  rolled  plate,  enterprising  Attle- 
borough jewelers  on  the  pretense  of  purchasing  presents  for  country  cousins 
are  said  to  have  ascertained  the  secrets  of  the  Providence  manufacturers 
and  thus  launched  Attleborough  upon  its  career  as  a  jewelry  manufac- 
turing town.  For  more  than  100  years,  through  periods  of  prosperity  and 
seasons  of  depression,  the  industry  has  increased  and  spread  from  these 
centers.  The  fall  in  the  price  of  silver  in  1893  and  1894  led  to  its  use  in 
a  great  variety  of  silver  novelties  so  that  nearly  all  leading  jewelers  be- 
came silversmiths  also  and  it  is  increasingly  difficult  to  separate  the  two 
industries.  In  this  study  no  attempt  has  been  made  to  make  such  a 
separation. 

How  long  home  work  has  been  carried  on  in  the  jewelry  towns  can  not 
be  ascertained,  but  one  firm  reported  the  employment  of  outside  workers 
for  over  50  years.  It  is  in  Attleborough,  Plainville,  Mansfield,  Taunton, 
and  Norton  that  most  of  the  firms  employing  home  labor  are  located. 
The  Boston  jewelers,  who  never  adopted  the  Dodge  methods  and  even  now 
do  chiefly  order  work  upon  the  best  grades  of  jewelry,  employ  no  home 
workers. 

For  this  study  252  jewelry  and  silverware  firms  were  interviewed, 
197  in  person,  and  55  by  correspondence.  Of  these,  70  employed  home 
workers,  66  being  in  Attleborough  and  vicinity,  and  four  in  Cambridge, 
Somerville,  and  North  Swansea.  Among  the  products  of  these  factories 
are  included  all  kinds  of  jewelry  and  silverware,  but  those  of  interest  in 
a  study  of  home  work  are  mesh  bags,  chains,  enameled  pins  and  brooches, 
and  a  general  line  of  the  cheaper  grades  of  jewelry. 


REPORT   ON   JEWELRY   AND   SILVERWARE 


B.    Processes  and  Bates  of  Pay. 

Home  work  processes  connected  with  the  jewelry  industry  may  be 
divided  into  four  groups:  (1)  Various  processes  upon  mesh  bags;  (2) 
turning,  linking,  and  soldering  chains;  (3)  painting  on  enamel;  and  (4) 
miscellaneous  processes  mostly  upon  very  cheap  grades  of  jewelry. 

(1)     MESH  BAGS. 

By  far  the  largest  number  of  workers  is  employed  upon  mesh  bags  for 
13  firms.  There  are  three  kinds  of  mesh:  Ring,  lock  (known  also  as  hook 
and  eye  and  unbreakable),  and  punch  (called  also  fish  scale  and  coat 
of  mail).  There  is  a  bewildering  number  of  sizes  and  styles  of  bags  and 
an  equally  bewildering  variation  in  rates  of  pay  for  home  work.  The  size 
of  the  ring,  the  degree  of  difficulty  of  the  pattern,  the  season  of  the  year, 
the  number  of  contractors  concerned,  the  nationality  of  the  worker,  and 
other  considerations  enter  into  the  fixing  of  rates  of  pay. 

The  following  list  of  processes  and  rates  will  give  an  idea  of  the  range 
of  prices  in  1912  and  1913  and  the  usual  price  for  some  of  the  common 
styles  and  sizes  of  bags  and  the  processes  connected  with  their  making : 

Processes  and  Rates  of  Pay  for  Home  Work  on  Mesh  Bags. 

I.    Ring  Purses. 

1.  Linking,1 $0.04  to  $1.40  each. 

.08  to      .25  a  thousand  rings. 

Two-inch  bags  (coarse  links), 04  to      .05  each. 

Three-inch  bags  (coarse  links),  .  .  .  .  .06  to  .08  each. 
Four-inch  bags  (coarse  links)  (30  doubles), 10  each. 

Each  bag  is  begun  with  a  chain  of  alternating  single  and  double  links.    If  the  double  link 
occurs  15  times  the  size  of  the  bag  is  said  to  be  30  doubles. 

Five-inch  bags  (coarse  links)  (40  doubles), 12  each. 

Five-inch  bags  (medium  links)  (66  doubles),      .         .35  to      .65  each. 

Five  and  one-half-inch  bags  (fine  links), 55  each. 

Six-inch  bags  (medium  links)  (86  doubles),  .  .55  to  .72  each. 
Six-inch  reverse  bags  (medium  links),  .  .  .  .45  to  1.00  each. 
Six-inch  full  bags  (fine  links)  (104  doubles),  .  1 . 30  to  1 . 65  each. 

A  full  bag  is  one  which  is  to  be  shirred  at  the  top  before  hanging  in  a  six-inch  frame.  Often 
the  price  is  the  same  for  the  full  as  for  the  plain  bag  although  the  former  requires  more  work. 

Fringe, 15  to      .18  a  yard. 

Fringe  is  sometimes  made  separately  by  special  workers  to  be  linked  to  the  tops  or  bottoms 
of  plain  bags. 

1  A  linking  process  on  which  there  is  a  patent  has  been  omitted  from  this  list. 


90  HOME   WORK   IN   MASSACHUSETTS 

Insertion, $0.10  a  yard. 

Insertion  and  daisies  are  also  made  separately  and  are  sometimes  of  intricate  patterns. 

Bands, $0.25  to      .45  a  yard. 

Bands  are  the  plain  straight  portion  of  certain  styles  of  bags.  Children  often  make  the  bands 
while  adult  workers  add  the  tops,  fringes,  etc. 

Opera  tops, 25  a  yard. 

2.  Closing  bags  (bottom  and  one  side),    .       .       .         .08  to      .54  a  dozen. 

Bags  from  some  factories  go  through  the  hands  of  three  sets  of  workers,  being  linked  up  by 
one  set,  closed  by  another,  and  hung  by  a  third. 

3.  Hanging  bags  on  frames 09  to      .24  a  dozen. 

Three-inch  bags  (13  rings  at  top), 17  a  dozen. 

Bags  are  usually  hung  on  the  frames  in  the  factory  by  hand  or  by  machines  which  press  and 
rivet  them  to  the  frames,  but  some  firms  send  them  out  to  home  workers. 

4.  Repairing  bags  and  mesh, 15  to      .  18  an  hour. 

Bags  poorly  made  are  often  sent  to  some  experienced  worker  or  agent  to  be  repaired. 
Mesh  made  in  sheets  by  machinery  often  has  rents  in  it  which  are  repaired  and  soldered  by 
workers  at  home. 

II.    Lock  Mesh  Bags. 

Linking, $0.04  to  $2.40  each. 

Four  and  one-half-inch  bags,      .       .       .       .         .37  to      .40  each. 

///.    Punch  Purses. 

Making, $0 . 10  to  $2 . 00  each. 

Four-inch  bags, 15  each. 

Bags  from  machine  mesh: 

Four-inch  bags, .06  each. 

Seven-inch  bags, .08  each. 

This  mesh  comes  from  the  factory  in  rolls  twice  the  width  of  the  bag  to  be  made.  It  must 
be  separated  with  the  fingers,  made  into  the  desired  shape,  and  closed  at  the  side  and  bottom. 

Trimming  bags  with  spangles, 02  each. 

The  spangles  are  put  on  with  the  rings  which  close  the  bottom  of  the  purse. 

Most  of  the  work  upon  mesh  bags  consists  in  the  linking  or  hitching 
up  of  ring  mesh.  Rings  made  of  silver  or  German  silver  are  weighed 
out  to  the  worker  and  instructions  given  as  to  the  style  of  bag  desired. 

Anyone  who  can  use  pliers  can  readily  learn  to  make  ring  purses. 
Each  ring  is  taken  up  with  the  pliers  from  a  pad  on  which  the  rings 
are  spread;  it  is  opened  by  being  pressed  against  a  grooved  thumb  ring 
worn  upon  the  left  hand,  or  against  a  screw  in  a  bench  pin;  it  is  then 
put  into  place  in  the  bag  and  closed  with  the  pliers.  The  same  tools 
and  methods  are  used  for  closing  the  bags  at  the  side  and  bottom  and  for 
linking  them  to  the  frames.  Sometimes  the  bags  must  be  shirred  at  the 


PLATE   II. 


Fig.  1.  —  Charm,  made  at  home  ($1.35  a  gross). 

Fig.  2.  —  Ring  on  which  the  stone  was  glued  at  home  (three  cents  a  gross). 

Fig.  3.  —  Lock  mesh  bag  as  it  comes  from  the  home  worker. 

Fig.  4.  —  Wooden-headed  hat  pin  on  which  seed  pearls  were  cemented  (36  cents  a  dozen). 

Fig.  5.  —  Ring  mesh  bag,  the  chain  having  been  put  on  in  factory  (six  cents  to  eight  cents  apiece). 

Figs.  6  and  8.  —  Metal  watch  fobs,  assembled  at  home  (50  cents  a  gross). 

Fig.  7.  — •  Punch  purse,  ready  for  sale. 

Fig.  9.  —  The  beginning  of  a  ring  mesh  bag  of  30  doubles. 


.  REPORT   ON   JEWELRY   AND    SILVERWARE  91 

top  before  they  are  hung  into  the  frame.  In  some  cases  links  are  left  at 
the  top  of  the  bag  (or  below  the  fringe  of  the  top)  through  which  a  long 
neck  chain  is  run  or  a  short  chain  upon  a  thumb  ring.1 

Agents  sometimes  give  their  workers  with  each  new  style  of  bag  a 
diagram  showing  the  number  of  doubles,  the  number  of  rows  of  links 
to  be  tapered,  gathered,  or  left  loose,  and  in  fact,  every  detail  of  the  bag. 
A  skillful  worker  needs  no  instruction  except  this  diagram.2 

For  the  mending  of  machine-made  ring  mesh,  a  foot  bellows  and  gas 
blower  are  needed.  Rings  of  solder-filled  wire  are  linked  into  the  holes 
in  the  sheets  of  mesh  with  pliers  and  the  added  links  soldered  in  the  gas 
flame,  the  solder  running  out  of  the  wire  of  which  the  rings  are  made 
and  closing  them. 

Lock  mesh  bags  are  made  of  links  resembling  hooks  and  eyes  and  are 
considered  by  most  workers  to  be  harder  to  make  than  the  ring  purses. 
Some  workers  use  a  little  upright  wooden  frame  in  making  this  mesh. 
The  work  is  hung  upon  a  crossbar  which  is  raised  from  time  to  time  as 
the  work  progresses.  Lock  mesh  can  not  be  made  by  machinery.3 

Punch  purses  take  their  name  from  the  punch  formerly  used  in  making 
them.  The  plates  (or  scales)  were  placed  upon  a  board  and  their  points 
pressed  down  around  the  connecting  rings  with  the  punch  which  had  to  be 
pounded  with  a  hammer.  A  special  kind  of  pliers  is  now  used  in  place  of 
the  punch,  hammer,  and  board.  Much  of  this  mesh  is  now  produced  in 
sheets  by  machinery.  It  is  sent  to  home  workers  in  rolls  twice  the  width 
of  the  desired  bag.  The  worker  separates  the  mesh  by  hand  into  the 
proper  pattern  and  closes  the  bottom  and  one  side  with  pliers.4 

(2)     CHAIN. 

Chain  ranks  second  in  importance  among  home  work  products  in 
Jewelry  in  spite  of  the  increasing  number  of  chain  machines  and  in  spite 
of  competition  with  imported  chain  made  by  very  cheap  labor  in  the 
Black  Forest.  Rope  chain  and  some  other  kinds  can  not  be  made  by 
machine ;  unsoldered  chain  in  general  is  said  to  be  produced  more  cheaply 
by  home  work  than  by  factory  labor.  Twenty-five  firms  in  and  about 
Attleborough  give  out  chain  to  be  hitched  up,  turned,  soldered,  or  as- 
sembled at  home. 

Linking  or  hitching  up  chain  is  the  most  important  of  the  chain  proc- 
esses. It  is  very  easy  or  very  difficult,  depending  upon  the  pattern  and 

1  See  Plate  II,  figure  5,  facing  p.  flO. 

2  See  Plate  II,  figure  9,  facing  p.  f  0,  showing  the  beginning  of  a  ring  mesh  bag  of  30  doubles. 

3  See  Plate  II,  figure  3,  facing  p.  90,  showing  a  lock  purse  as  it  comes  from  the  home  worker. 
«  See  Plate  II,  figure  7,  facing  p.  90,  showing  a  punch  purse  ready  for  sale. 


92  HOME   WORK   IN   MASSACHUSETTS 

the  size  of  the  links.  The  simpler  process  can  be  readily  learned;  the 
more  complicated,  such  as  rope,  requires  six  months'  practice  even  in  the 
factory.  The  necessary  equipment  for  chain  making  is  a  pair  of  pliers 
(or  two  pairs)  and  a  pad  upon  which  to  spread  the  links  so  that  they  may 
be  readily  picked  up  with  the  pliers.1  Eope  chain  requires  also  fine  wire 
which  is  wound  around  the  chain  as  it  is  being  made  and  holds  it  in  place 
till  it  is  soldered.2  Some  chain  is  linked  in  very  long  pieces  which  are 
afterwards  cut  into  the  required  lengths  in  the  factory  or  sold  in  large 
quantities  uncut.  Rope  is  hitched  up  into  foot  lengths  which  are  mended 
(fastened  together)  in  the  factory,  soldered,  and  then  cut  into  the  lengths 
required  for  necklaces,  watch  chains  and  other  purposes.  The  links  are 
weighed  out  to  the  workers  so  that  any  loss  may  easily  be  detected.  Link- 
ing chain  is  clean  and  pleasant  work ;  it  can  be  picked  up  at  odd  moments 
and  dropped  at  any  stage  of  progress;  it  can  be  carried  from  place  to 
place,  and  in  a  jewelry  community  neighbors  often  visit  as  they  link. 

Turning  machine-made  chain,  usually  block  chain,  is  another  opera- 
tion performed  largely  by  home  workers.3  The  links  are  turned  to  make 
the  closings  of  two  consecutive  links  come  together  so  that  two  links  may 
be  soldered  at  once.  This  process  is  performed  by  hand  and  requires  no 
skill. 

Though  charging  and  soldering  are  usually  done  in  the  factory,  this 
work  is  by  some  firms  given  out  to  agents,  who  do  part  of  the  soldering 
themselves  with  the  aid  of  a  charger,  and  give  out  part  to  such  home 
workers  as  have  the  necessary  equipment  in  their  homes.  Often  the  chain 
comes  to  the  contractor  in  the  greasy  state  in  which  it  leaves  the  machine 
and  must  be  cleaned  in  potash,  rinsed  in  hot  water,  cut  into  the  required 
lengths,  and  dipped  into  a  borax  solution  to  make  it  ready  for  soldering. 
Cutting  before  soldering  wastes  one  link  to  a  length,  after  soldering,  two 
links.  Block  chain  gets  its  name  from  the  fact  of  its  being  laid  upon  a 
block  to  be  soldered.  A  small  piece  of  solder  is  placed,  with  pliers,  upon 
each  joining  and  heat  applied  from  a  gas  blower.  Either  a  foot  bellows 
or  an  electric  motor  is  used  to  furnish  the  pressure.  When  soldered  the 
chain  is  stretched  from  a  hook  to  test  its  strength,  and  is  then  ready  to  be 
returned  to  the  factory  for  its  silver  coating.  Rope  chain  also  is  sometimes 
soldered  in  the  home.  The  chain  is  dipped  into  a  solution  containing 
potassium  cyanide  and  then  drawn  through  a  hole  in  a  plate  to  be  made 
even.  The  ends  of  the  wire  with  which  the  chain  is  wound  in  the  making 

1  See  Plate  III,  figures  8  and  9,  facing  this  page,  showing  rope  chain  and  links  of  which  it  is  made. 
1  See  Plate  III,  figure  7,  facing  this  page,  showing  a  necklace  of  fine  rope  chain. 
'  See  Plate  III,  figures  1  and  2. 


PLATE  III. 


Fig.  1.  —  Machine-made  chain,  turned  and  sol- 
dered at  home. 

Fig.  2.  —  Machine-made  block  chain,  turned  at 
home. 

Fig.    3.  —  End  chain,  linked  at  home. 

Fig.    4.  —  Two-plier  chain,  linked  at  home. 

Fig.  5.  —  Very  difficult  block  chain,  linked  at 
home. 

Fig.    6.  —  Pinch  chain,  linked  at  home. 


Fig.    7.  —  Necklace  of  fine  rope  chain,  linked  at 

home. 

Fig.    8.  —  Rope  chain,  linked  at  home. 
Fij.    9.  —  Links  of  rope  chain  (figure  8). 
Fig.  10.  —  Rope  chain,  linked  at  home. 
Fig.  11.  — Parts  of  a  swivel,  assembled  at  home. 
Fig.  12.  —  Double  curb  chain  (with  link  of  same) 

linked  at  home. 
Fig.  13.  —  Watch  chain,  assembled  at  home. 


REPORT   ON   JEWELRY   AND   SILVERWARE  93 

are  twisted  into  loops  and  each  length  fastened  by  these  loops  into  a  frame 
like  a  bow  which  holds  the  chain  taut  for  soldering.  The  charger  now 
puts  upon  each  link  joining  a  tiny  piece  of  solder  and  the  solderer  applies 
the  heat.  To  remove  the  black  from  the  soldering,  the  chain  is  washed 
in  boiling  water  and  oil  of  vitriol.  Finally  it  is  looked  over,  mended,  if 
necessary,  and  drawn  again  through  the  plate. 

Assembling  of  chain  is  another  home  operation  and  consists  in  putting 
on  bars,  drops,  swivels,  barrels,  catches,  and  ornaments.1  It  requires  no 
skill  except  the  ready  use  of  pliers. 

Kates  of  pay  for  home  work  on  chain  vary  less  than  those  on  mesh  bags 
because  the  demand  for  chain  is  less  seasonal,  the  styles  less  frequently 
changed,  and  the  work  more  skilled,  for  the  most  part,  so  that  it  is  given 
out  to  only  the  more  intelligent  workers;  while  the  value  of  the  material 
makes  it  desirable  to  employ  only  reliable  workers.  The  work  is  well 
paid  because  it  is  done  mostly  by  Americans  who  are  skilled  workers  and 
can  not  be  replaced  by  foreigners.  The  rate  depends  largely  upon  the 
difficulty  of  the  design  and  the  fineness  of  the  links.  Gold  chain  often  is 
paid  for  at  a  higher  rate  than  brass  chain  of  the  same  style. 

Rates  of  Pay  for  Home  Work  on  Chain. 
1.  Linking, 

Single  curb, $0. 01£  a  foot. 

Sometimes  the  chain  is  linked  up  plain  and  curbed  in  the  factory  afterwards,  and  some- 
times links  are  curbed  in  the  factory  first  and  left  open  just  the  right  distance  for  linking. 

Solder  link  curb  (linking  and  soldering),        ....  .05   afoot. 

This  link  is  made  of  solder-filled  wire  and  can  be  soldered  without  charging  as  the  heat 
brings  the  solder  out  at  the  joining. 

Double  curb,2 $0.40   to      .90   a  100  feet. 

Some  firms  send  out  single  curb  chain  to  be  unhitched  and  "doubled"  at  home. 

Rope  (unwired),3         .       .       .       .       .       .       .         .02   to      .08    afoot. 

Some  cheap  grades  of  rope  chain  are  made  without  wiring  and  soldering. 

Rope  (linking  and  wiring), 06    to  .17  afoot. 

Rope  (unsoldered  brass), 02   to  .16  afoot. 

Rope  (wiring  only), .01  afoot. 

Linking  and  wiring  are  occasionally  done  by  different  workers. 

1  See  Plate  III,  figure  13,  facing  p.  92. 
*  See  Plate  III,  figure  12,  facing  p.  92. 
»  See  Plate  III,  figure  10,  facing  p.  92. 


94  HOME   WORK   IN   MASSACHUSETTS 

Rope  (linking,  wiring,  charging,  and  soldering),    .     $0.23    to  $0.27    a  foot. 
Rope  graduates  (9£  inches)  (unwired),    .       .       .         .08   to      .10   afoot. 

Graduates  are  made  of  several  sizes  of  links  and  taper  from  the  center  to  the  ends.    They 
are  more  difficult  to  make  than  ordinary  rope  chain. 

Rope  graduates  (9|  inches)  (wired), .16    afoot. 

Vest  chain  (bright  work)  (9§  inch  with  drop),       ...  .04    apiece. 

Bright  work  is  made  of  links  colored  before  being  hitched  up. 

Pinch,1 01|  to  .20    afoot. 

Balloon, 06    to  .16    afoot. 

Twoplier,1 .04|afoot. 

Two  pairs  of  pliers  are  used  for  this  chain. 

Globe 08    to      .12    afoot. 

Block  (special  style),8 .05    afoot. 

This  chain  is  very  difficult  to  make.    Little  cubes  of  gold  are  inclosed  in  gold  wire. 

End, '.         .01|  to      .02    afoot. 

2.  Turning, 

Machine-made  chain,         .       .       .       .       .       .         .20   to      .25    a  100  feet. 

Block  (turning  and  soldering), .02   to      .09    afoot. 

3.  Soldering, 

Block, 01    to  .02^  a  foot. 

Single  curb, 00 J  to  .01    afoot. 

Rope  (charging  and  soldering), .16    afoot. 

Rope  (small  graduates), .14    afoot. 

4.  Assembling, 

Putting  on  swivel  and  ornaments, .06  a  dozen  chains. 

Putting  on  barrel  and  catch, 20  a  gross  (150). 

Chain  comes  from  abroad  in  25  meter  lengths.  The  ends  must  be  pulled  out  till  smooth 
links  are  left.  Half  links  are  then  added  to  fasten  the  barrel  and  catch. 

Putting  on  bar  and  swivel, 15  a  gross  (150). 

Clipping  and  putting  ring  hi  coat  chain,        .       .       .       .25  a  100. 

(3)     PAINTING  ON  ENAMEU 

Painting  on  enamel  pins  and  brooches  was  reported  as  being  done  by 
home  workers  for  seven  jewelry  manufacturers  in  Attleborough.  This 
work  is  done  through  agents  who  have  had  training  in  painting  in  art 
schools  or  from  private  teachers.  The  agents  make  the  designs  and  set 

»  See  Plate  III,  figure  6,  facing  p.  02. 
1  See  Plate  III,  figure  4,  facing  p.  92. 
*  See  Plate  III,  figure  5,  facing  p.  92. 


REPORT   ON   JEWELRY   AND    SILVERWARE  95 

the  prices  for  the  work.  The  firms  send  out  to  the  agents  the  enameled 
articles  to  be  painted  and  the  agents  do  part  of  the  painting  in  their  own 
studios  with  the  aid  of  assistants  and  give  out  part  to  home  workers,  most 
of  whom  they  have  trained  by  some  weeks'  experience  in  the  studio.  This 
work  is  quite  easy  for  one  who  is  artistically  inclined,  is  well  paid, 
rapidly  done,  and  interesting.  It  is,  however,  dependent  upon  a  fad  which, 
according  to  one  agent,  is  revived  about  once  in  seven  years  only.  Paints, 
brushes,  palette  knives,  and  other  equipment  are  such  as  are  used  in  china 
painting.  Very  few  colors  are  needed  for  the  simple  designs  used  on  pins 
and  brooches;  these  are  usually  pink  or  blue  for  the  flowers,  green  for 
leaves,  and  yellow  for  centers. 

Rates  of  Pay  for  Home  Work  in  Painting  on  Enamel. 

Veil  pins, $O.OOHo$0.01    each. 

Cuff  pins, .00|  ea°h. 

Buckles, 01    to  .04    each. 

Sash  pins, .03   each. 

Brooches, OOJ  to  .01    each. 

Pendants, .01^  each. 

(4)     MISCELLANEOUS  PROCESSES. 

In  addition  to  work  upon  mesh  bags,  chain,  and  enameled  articles  there 
are  various  home-work  processes  upon  jewelry  which  are  insignificant  if 
viewed  separately,  but  assume  some  importance  in  the  aggregate.  Thirty- 
two  firms  reported  such  processes.  Most  of  this  work  requires  little  or  no 
skill  and  is  connected  with  the  cheapest  grades  of  jewelry. 

A  little  stone  setting  is  done  by  workers  trained  in  the  factory  upon 
the  better  grade  of  jewelry,  but  most  of  it  consists  only  in  dropping  imita- 
tion stones  into  their  settings,  with  the  fingers,  and  pressing  down  upon 
them  the  points  of  the  settings  with  a  small  screw  driver  or  similar  tool ; 
while  some  of  it  is  the  mere  child's  play  of  dipping  glass  stones  into  glue 
and  pasting  them  upon  rings  such  as  come  in  prize  boxes  of  candy  and 
pop-corn.1  Cementing  seed  pearls  on  silver  pins  and  silver  and  wooden- 
headed  hatpins  is  another  home-work  process  requiring  little  skill,  the 
pearls  being  stuck  into  the  cement  till  the  surface  is  covered.2  The  rate 
of  pay  depends  upon  the  size  of  the  pin  or  hatpin. 

Beads  are  strung  upon  corset  lacings  with  a  long  needle  and  a  barrel 
is  afterwards  fastened  to  one  tinned  end  of  the  lacing  and  a  catch  to  the 
other.  The  beads  are  colored  in  the  factory  later.  Beads  known  as  fine 

1  See  Plate  II,  figure  2,  facing  p.  90. 

2  See  Plate  II,  figure  4,  facing  p.  90. 


96  HOME   WORK   IN   MASSACHUSETTS 

pearls  are  imported  from  Germany,  already  strung,  in  bunches  of  half  a 
gross  strings  and  given  out  to  home  workers  who  tie  a  barrel  on  one  end 
of  each  string  and  a  catch  on  the  other  with  a  close  tight  knot  of  the  string. 

Other  home-work  processes  may  be  passed  with  a  mere  mention,  such 
as  the  assembling  of  metal  fobs,1  pin  stemming,  the  making  of  watch 
charms,2  slipping  the  springs  and  rings  into  swivels,3  putting  springs  into 
cigar  lighters,  center  wiring  (or  putting  wires  into  rings  to  make  catches 
on  chains),  fastening  metal  bands  around  "pearls"  for  stickpin  heads, 
setting  pictures  in  campaign  buttons,  carding  collar  buttons,  and  burnish- 
ing pearl  pins. 

There  are  also  several  home-work  processes  upon  optical  goods,  chiefly 
bending  guards  or  finger  pieces,  ear  loops,  and  temples  for  eye  glasses,  and 
knotting  eye-glass  cords  and  putting  them  into  envelopes.  The  bending  of 
the  metal  parts  of  eye  glasses  is  done  over  a  bench  pin,  with  pliers,  and  re- 
quires some  skill. 

Various  sewing  processes  are  carried  on  at  home  for  jewelry  firms  such 
as  making  outing  flannel  bags  to  cover  silverware,  shirring  pieces  of  dis- 
play ribbon  in  the  center  and  cutting  the  ends,  fringing  display  ribbon 
and  making  display  bows,  making  velvet  display  rolls  with  the  manu- 
facturer's name  outlined  upon  them,  sewing  ribbon  for  badges ;  sewing  silk 
fobs,  and  making  powder  puffs  for  vanity  cases.  A  few  firms  pay  for  this 
kind  of  work  by  the  hour. 

Rates  of  Pay  for  Miscellaneous  Home-work  Processes. 

Stone  setting, $0.01  a  stone. 

Stone  setting  (bending  down  points),       .       .    $0.05  to      .10  a  gross. 

Stone  setting  (with  glue), 03  a  gross  (150). 

Cementing  pearls  on  pins  and  hatpins,     .       .        .08  to      .30  a  gross. 

Bead  stringing, 05  to      .25  a  gross  strings  (150). 

Putting  barrel  and  catch  on  beads, 25  a  gross. 

Pin  stemming, 10  to      .  15  a  gross. 

Turning  backs  of  beauty  pins, 03  a  gross. 

Assembling  metal  fobs  at  $0.05  an  operation,    .        .  45  to    1 . 50  a  gross. 

Making  charms, 50  to    1 . 35  a  gross. 

Assembling  swivels, 05  a  gross. 

Putting  springs  into  swivels, 12  a  gross. 

Putting  springs  into  cigar  lighters, 02^  a  100. 

Center  wiring, 10  a  gross. 

Putting  bands  around  "pearls", 03  a  gross. 

Setting  pictures  in  campaign  buttons 05  a  gross. 

1  See  Plate  II,  figures  6  and  8,  facing  p.  90. 
*  See  Plate  II,  figure  1,  facing  p.  90. 
>  See  Plate  III,  figure  11,  facing  p.  92. 


REPORT   ON   JEWELRY   AND    SILVERWARE  97 

Carding  collar  buttons, $0. 01  f  a  gross. 

Burnishing  pearl  pins,         .  ...    SO .  14  to      .  30  a  gross. 

Bending  nose  guards, 20  to      .  25  a  100. 

Bending  ear  loops, 10  a  100. 

Bending  temples, 20  a  100. 

Knotting  eye-glass  cords, 15  to      .  17  a  gross. 

Shirring  and  cutting  display  ribbon, 20  a  roll  (80  pieces). 

Fringing  display  ribbon, 05  a  dozen. 

Making  display  bows, 03  a  dozen. 

Making  and  outlining  velvet  display  rolls,      .       .       .        .25  each. 

Sewing  ribbon  for  badges, 01  each. 

Sewing  ribbon  on  fobs  and  cutting  ends, .       .        .  25  to      .  65  a  gross. 

Sewing  (various  operations), 15  to       17|  an  hour. 

In  the  main,  home  work  upon  Jewelry  and  Silverware  is  not  delete- 
rious from  the  standpoint  of  the  health  of  the  worker.  Some  processes, 
such  as  hitching  up  and  soldering  fine  chain,  assembling  metal  fobs,  and 
making  fine  mesh,  are,  however,  hard  upon  the  eyes.  Charms  sometimes 
cut  the  fingers  so  that  bandages  must  be  worn.  Those  workers  who  depend 
upon  their  home  work  for  partial  support  (chiefly  purse  makers)  complain 
that  the  many  hours  of  work  after  the  household  duties  are  performed 
and  the  consequent  lack  of  out-door  exercise  tell  upon  their  general  health. 
Parents  are  not  willing  to  admit  that  their  children  are  harmed  by  this 
work,  hut  neighborhood  stories  of  the  injurious  effects  of  forced  work 
and  night  work  on  the  part  of  a  few  children  of  poor  parents  seem  to  be 
confirmed  by  the  unhealthy  appearance  of  the  children  themselves. 

It  was  difficult  to  determine  the  number  of  home  workers  in  Jewelry 
and  Silverware  because  very  often  the  names  on  the  pay-rolls  represented 
group  workers,  and  because  most  of  the  work  was  done  through  contrac- 
tors, many  of  whom  kept  no  records  of  workers  or  the  amounts  paid  them 
and  one-half  of  whom  lived  outside  of  Massachusetts.  The  total  of  9,702 
home  workers  was  made  up  from  pay-rolls,  reports  of  manufacturers  and 
contractors,  and  estimates  of  the  number  employed  by  contractors.  The 
9,025  mesh  workers  made  up  more  than  nine-tenths  (93.0  per  cent)  of  the 
whole  number;  workers  on  miscellaneous  processes  take  second  place 
(337)  ;  chain  workers,  third  (315)  ;  and  painters  on  enamel  last  (25). 

C.    Relation  of  Home  Work  to  Factory  Work. 

The  relation  of  home  work  to  factory  work  in  respect  to  numbers  em- 
ployed and  wages  paid  is  shown  in  the  following  table.  Complete  data 
were  available  for  41  firms  and  these  only  are  included  in  the  table. 


98 


HOME    WORK    IN    MASSACHUSETTS 


TABLE  40.  —  Relation  of  Home  Work  to  Factory  Work  in  Jewelry  and  Silverware 
Establishments  Employing  Home  Workers. 

Factory  and  Home  Workers. 


PROCESSES. 

Number  of 
Estab- 
lishments 

Total 
Number  of 
Workers 

Total 
Labor  Cost 

Jewelry  and  Silverware. 
Mesh  bags 

41 

10 

12,948 

9838 

$2,205,890 

662  791 

Chain,    .        .                         

18 

1,659 

923,362 

Painting  on  enamel, 

3 

224 

129  597 

Miscellaneous  processes  

10 

1,227 

490,140 

Factory  Workers. 


PROCESSES. 

WORKERS 

WAGES 

Numbers 

Percent- 
ages 

Amounts 
Paid 
in  Wages 
a  Year 

Percent- 
ages 

Jewelry  and  Silverware. 

MAR!)  bags 

3,246 

813 
1,344 
199 
890 

25.1 

8.3 
81.0 
88.8 
72.5 

$2,015,034 

516,512 

896,872 
128,784 
472,866 

91.3 

77.9 
97.1 
99.4 
96.5 

Chain,    V                                                                                  . 

Miscellaneous  processes  

Home  Workers. 


Jewelry  and  Silverware. 

Mesh  bags. 

9,702 

9  025 

74.9 

91  7 

$190,856 

146,279 

8.7 

22  1 

Chain,     

315 

19.0 

26,490 

2.9 

25 

11.2 

813 

0.6 

Miscellaneous  processes,          

337 

27.5 

17,274 

3.5 

D.    The  Labor  Supply. 

The  problem  of  home  work  assumes  some  importance  in  an  industry 
where  74.9  per  cent  of  the  total  number  of  workers  are  home  workers  who 
receive  only  8.7  per  cent  of  the  total  amount  paid  in  wages.  The  relative 
importance  of  home  work  in  mesh  bags  is  evident  from  the  fact  that  while 
other  classes  of  home  workers  comprise  but  a  small  proportion  of  the  total 
number  of  workers,  more  than  nine-tenths  of  the  labor  force  of  mesh-bag 
manufacturers  is  outside  labor. 

The  army  of  over  9,000  mesh-bag  makers  can  not  be  martialed  from 
the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  factories  employing  them.  A  few  firms  give 
out  work  directly  to  factory  employees,  their  friends  and  relatives,  and 
other  persons  living  near  enough  to  call  for  the  work,  but  most  of  the 
workers  are  secured  through  contractors  and  at  least  one-half  of  them  live 
in  Rhode  Island,  New  Jersey,  and  Connecticut.  Some  mesh  has  been 
sent  to  workers  in  Maine  and  even  as  far  away  as  Nebraska.  When  the 
mesh  bag  business  first  came  into  prominence  manufacturers  paid  agents 


REPORT   ON    JEWELRY   AND    SILVERWARE  99 

in  Providence,  Newark,  Attleborough,  and  elsewhere  to  establish  schools 
for  teaching  the  work.  There  was  a  charge  of  one  dollar  to  the  learner. 
The  workers  so  taught  gave  lessons  to  friends  and  neighbors  till  whole 
communities  understood  the  work.  Contractors  now  find  plenty  of  workers 
among  friends  and  neighbors  except  in  the  busy  season  from  August  or 
September  to  Christmas  when  they  are  obliged  to  resort  to  various  devices 
to  obtain  the  desired  number  of  workers  such  as  advertising  and  sending 
agents  to  new  communities.  There  are  a  few  steady  workers  favored  by 
the  contractors  and  given  the  best  paying  work,  but  the  majority  shift 
from  firm  to  firm  and  from  contractor  to  contractor. 

Chain  workers,  numerically  insignificant  in  comparison  with  mesh 
workers,  are,  as  a  rule,  employed  more  steadily  during  the  year  and  some- 
times year  after  year  by  the  same  firms.  Linkers  of  the  better  grades  of 
chain  are  very  largely  former  chain  makers  in  the  factory  or  their  friends 
and  relatives  whom  they  have  taught.  A  firm  very  seldom  advertises 
for  linkers  unless  it  is  just  starting  in  business.  The  supply  of  trained 
workers  is  still  adequate  but  not  sufficiently  large  to  materially  lower  rates 
of  pay  as  has  been  done  in  the  case  of  the  rates  for  mesh  bags. 

The  25  women  who  paint  on  enamel  at  home  are  employed  through 
contractors  who  have  no  difficulty  in  securing  workers  from  acquaintances 
and  applicants.  There  is  scarcely  any  shift  among  these  workers.  Work- 
ers on  miscellaneous  articles  are  usually  employed  directly  by  the  firms 
and  the  supply  is  sufficient  except  in  country  districts.  Some  manufac- 
turers say  that  they  give  out  work  to  old  employees  who  can  no  longer 
come  to  the  factory  because  of  ill  health,  age,  or  family  cares  and  that 
they  always  give  the  preference  to  those  who  need  work.  These  statements 
seem  to  be  confirmed  by  interviews  with  their  workers. 

E.    Reasons  for  Home  Work. 

The  reasons  given  for  the  employment  of  home  instead  of  factory  labor 
are  lack  of  floor  space  in  the  factory,  the  seasonal  character  of  the  demand 
for  the  product,  the  inadequacy  of  the  local  supply  of  labor,  and  the 
difficulty  of  supervising  so  many  workers  as  would  be  needed  in  the  rush 
season.  Some  manufacturers  give  the  added  reason  that  it  is  a  charity 
to  provide  work  for  the  many  women  who  need  the  money  but  can  not 
leave  home  to  come  to  the  factory. 

No  manufacturer  of  mesh  bags  reported  the  employment  of  home 
labor  for  more  than  10  years  and  most  of  them  have  begun  outside  work 
within  seven  years.  In  spite  of  the  invention  of  mesh  machines  which 
will  doubtless  ultimately  do  away  with  home  work  on  ring  and  punch 
purses,  the  amount  of  home  work  on  these  articles  seems  to  be  increasing. 


100 


HOME   WORK   IN   MASSACHUSETTS 


On  the  other  hand,  although  outside  labor  on  chain  has  been  long 
established  in  the  industry,  there  is  no  indication  that  it  is  increasing  in 
amount.  It  is  probable  that  ultimately  machines  will  take  the  place  of 
chain  makers  of  all  kinds  of  chain,  but  no  machine  has  yet  been  invented 
for  some  of  the  more  difficult  kinds  of  chain  and  these  are  still  made  by 
home  linkers.  Rope  chain  is  the  most  important  of  these.  Home  work 
reduces  the  labor  cost  of  its  production.  It  can  be  imported  at  the  price 
paid  here  for  labor  only,  but  the  rope  chain  made  by  intelligent  American 
women  is  superior  in  quality  to  that  made  in  the  Black  Forest  where 
children  do  the  linking  and  charging  and  adults  do  only  the  soldering. 
Unsoldered  brass  chain  is  also  still  made  at  home  because  it  can  be  done 
more  cheaply  outside  than  inside  the  factory. 

Painting  on  enamel  is  not,  strictly  speaking,  a  jewelry  process  and 
the  factories  are  not  equipped  for  such  work  nor  are  the  employees  trained 
for  it.  As  it  is  dependent  upon  a  style  which  soon  passes,  it  is  cheaper 
for  the  manufacturers  to  have  it  done  outside  by  those  who  have  the  proper 
training  and  equipment  than  to  introduce  the  necessary  equipment  and 
workers  into  their  factories. 

As  work  on  miscellaneous  processes  is  mostly  unskilled  and  can  be  done 
without  factory  supervision,  it  is  done  more  cheaply  in  the  home  than  in 
the  factory.  This  is  especially  true  of  those  processes  upon  which  whole 
families,  including  young  children,  are  employed. 

F.    Method  of  Distribution. 

Workers  almost  invariably  call  for  their  work  and  return  it  to  the 
factory  or  to  the  office  or  residence  of  the  contractor.  There  are  no 
charges  for  transportation  except  an  occasional  car  fare.  The  contracting 
system  is  a  unique  feature  of  the  Jewelry  and  Silverware  industry  in 
Massachusetts,  and  especially  in  the  mesh  bag  business  as  may  be  seen 
from  the  following  table. 

TABLE  41.  —  Contractors  for  Jewelry  and  Silverware  Manufacturers. 


KIND  or  WORK  DONE 
THROUGH  CONTRACTORS. 

Total 

Number 
of  Con- 
tractors i 

NUMBER  OF 
CONTRACTORS  IN- 
TERVIEWED IN  — 

NUMBER  OF  CONTRACTORS  NOT 
INTERVIEWED  IN  — 

Massa- 
chusetts 

Rhode 
Island 

Massa- 
chusetts 

Rhode 
Island 

Con- 
necticut 

New 
Jersey 

All  Processes. 

Making  mesh  bags  
Linking,  turning,  and  soldering  chain, 
Painting  on  enamel,  .... 
Stone  setting,     

100 

88 
9 
2 

»24 

13 
8 
2 
1 

26 

25 

25 

25 

19 
19 

4 

4 

2 
2 

1  All  but  two  contractors  reported  are  women. 

'  One  chain  and  three  mesh  contractors  employing  workers  living  in  Massachusetts  bring  the  total  number  of 
contractors  who  employed  Massachusetts  workers  up  to  28. 


REPORT   ON   JEWELRY   AND    SILVERWARE  101 

Almost  nine-tenths  of  the  contractors  in  the  industry  handle  mesh. 
The  contract  system  developed  when  the  sudden  demand  for  purses  made 
it  impossible  for  firms  to  secure  workers  enough  in  their  own  vicinity  and 
it  has  increased  with  the  increase  in  business.  It  relieves  the  manufac- 
turer of  the  annoyance  of  dealing  with  the  individual  workers,  of  the 
difficulty  of  supervising  their  work,  and  of  the  necessity  of  keeping  rec- 
ords of  their  earnings.  By  this  system  the  territory  from  which  workers 
may  be  drawn  is  largely  extended.  Several  firms  have  50  contractors  or 
more.  Some  of  these  are  themselves  workers  who  carry  a  little  work  to 
relatives  or  friends  in  their  immediate  vicinity;  others  have  a  room  in 
their  homes  set  aside  for  receiving  workers  and  giving  out  mesh;  still 
others  have  regular  offices,  pay  from  $10  to  $15  a  month  for  advertising 
and  as  much  for  express,  pay  out  to  home  workers  in  the  rush  season  from 
$35  to  $75  daily,  carry  a  heavy  insurance,  handle  from  one  to  two  tons 
of  mesh  a  year,  and  make  an  annual  profit  of  $4,000  or  $5,000.  The 
average  expense  to  the  contractor  is  about  three  cents  a  bag  and  the  usual 
profit  is  five  cents  a  bag.  The  large  contractors  do  business  for  several 
firms  both  in  Massachusetts  and  Rhode  Island,  and  most  of  them  have 
sub-contractors.  The  manufacturers  establish  the  rate  of  pay  and  the  con- 
tractors get  the  work  done  as  cheaply  as  possible  and  make  what  profit 
they  can.  Only  two  were  reported  as  working  on  salary.  Certain  con- 
tractors do  their  best  to  keep  the  price  up  for  their  workers,  but  many  are 
accused  of  undercutting,  which  is  said  to  be  responsible  in  part  for  the 
rapidly  declining  rates  of  pay.  All  but  two  of  the  contractors  found  in 
this  industry  were  women,  nearly  all  married  women  and  housekeepers. 
In  almost  all  cases,  mesh  contractors  pay  express  one  way. 

Nine  contractors,  all  women,  were  found  handling  chain  for  eight 
factories.  The  contractors  call  for  the  light  work  at  the  factory  but  the 
firms  usually  deliver  to  the  contractors  the  heavy  chain  to  be  turned  and 
soldered,  paying  either  one-half  or  all  of  the  transportation  charges. 

The  contractors  for  enamel  painting  make  sample  patterns  which  they 
submit  to  the  manufacturers  for  approval  or  revision.  Rose,  daisy,  violet, 
or  forget-me-not  designs  may  be  adapted  to  various  styles  and  sizes  of  pins 
and  brooches  to  suit  the  demands  of  different  firms.  The  contractors  set 
the  price  for  this  work,  but  sometimes  lower  it  upon  protest  from  the 
manufacturer.  They  entirely  control  the  price  paid  the  workers.  "No 
transportation  charges  for  workers  or  contractors  were  reported.  Some- 
times firms  deliver  the  work  to  the  contractors  and  sometimes  the  contrac- 
tors call  for  it. 


102 


HOME   WORK   IN   MASSACHUSETTS 


G.    The  Worker. 

(1)  INTRODUCTORY. 

A  detailed  study  of  the  workers  on  Jewelry  and  Silverware  does  not 
confirm  the  popular  impression  that  all  home  work  is  an  occupation  of  our 
foreign  population  whose  low  standards  of  living  make  them  willing  to 
accept  very  low  wages  and  whose  unsanitary  surroundings  spell  danger  to 
the  consumer  of  their  product.  The  jewelry  industry  is  centered  in  a 
locality  largely  American  where  the  coming  in  of  foreigners  has  been  re- 
sisted and  resented.  It  was,  therefore,  not  surprising  to  find  that  over 
two-thirds  (69.3  per  cent)  of  the  home  workers  in  this  industry  were 
native-born  and  that  many  of  them  were  of  the  same  social  status  as  their 
employers.  Of  the  foreign-born  considerably  over  one-half  (62.3  per  cent) 
were  Canadians,  largely  French;  Southern  Europeans  were  represented 
by  only  a  few  workers.  The  demand  for  cheap  labor  to  meet  the  greatly 
reduced  prices  of  mesh  bags  is,  however,  resulting  in  the  employment  of 
more  and  more  purse  makers  in  communities  of  foreign  population  and  in 
sending  more  and  more  work  outside  Massachusetts,  especially  to  Khode 
Island. 

(2)  SEX  AKD  AGE. 

The  following  table  shows  the  predominance  of  girls  and  women  among 
the  home  workers  in  this  industry. 


TABLE  42.  —  Sex  and  Age  of  Home  Workers  on  Jewelry  and  Silverware. 


AGE  GROUPS. 

MALES 

FEMALES 

BOTH  SEXES 

Number 

Percent- 
ages  i 

Number 

Percent- 
ages i 

Number 

Percent- 
ages i 

AH  Ages. 

Under  five  years. 
Five  years  and  under  10, 
10  years  and  under  14, 
14  years  and  under  16, 
16  years  and  under  18, 
18  years  and  under  21,                                   . 
21  years  and  under  25, 

25 

4 
6 
4 

2 
2 

1 
4 

100.0 

21.1 
31.5 
21.1 

10.5 
10.5 

5.3 

250 

2 
7 
19 
9 
4 
8 
17 
34 
27 
27 
33 
19 
12 
8 
7 
17a 

100.0 

.9 
3.0 
8.1 
3.9 
1.7 
3.4 
7.3 
14.6 
11.6 
11.6 
14.2 
8.1 
5.2 
3.4 
3.0 

273 

2 
11 
25 
13 
4 
8 
17 
36 
27 
27 
35 
19 
12 
8 
8 
21  « 

100.0 

.8 
4.4 
9.9 
5.2 
1.6 
3.2 
6.7 
14.2 
10.7 
10.7 
13.9 
7.5 
4.8 
3.2 
3.2 

30  years  and  under  35, 
35  years  and  under  40, 
40  years  and  under  45, 
45  years  and  under  50, 

55  years  and  under  60, 
60  years  and  over, 
Age  not  reported. 

1  The  percentages  are  baaed  on  the  number  of  home  workers  whose  ages  were  reported. 
*  Includes  five  females  under  16  years  of  age,  but  whose  exact  ape  was  not  reported. 


REPORT   ON    JEWELRY    AND    SILVERWARE 


103 


(3)     SCHOOL  ATTENDANCE. 

Although  there  was  practically  no  interference  with  the  school  attend- 
ance of  children  under  14  years  of  age,  who  constitute  15.1  per  cent  of  the 
home  workers  in  this  industry,  as  contrasted  with  21.3  per  cent  for  all 
industries,  there  was  some  complaint  from  grade  teachers  that  children 
employed  at  night  upon  home  work  were  listless  and  dull  in  school.  These 
children  were  mostly  from  the  French-Canadian  families.  Most  of  the 
children  worked  only  during  the  summer  vacations,  or  for  an  hour  after 
school.  It  is  probable  that  more  children  of  high-school  age  would  be 
doing  home  work  but  for  the  fact  that  many  of  the  girls  and  still  more 
of  the  boys  work  in  jewelry  factories  after  the  close  of  school  and  all  day 
Saturday. 

The  following  table  shows  that  the  problem  of  child  labor  in  reference 
to  school  attendance  is  not  a  serious  one. 

TABLE  43.  —  School  Attendance  of  Home  Workers  on  Jewelry  and  Silverware:  By  Sex 

and  Age. 


NUMBER  OP 

NUMBER  OP 

NUMBER  OF 

MALES  — 

FEMALES  — 

BOTH  SEXES  — 

AGE  GROUPS. 

In 

Not  in 

In 

Not  in 

In 

Not  in 

School 

School 

School 

School 

School 

School 

Under  18  Years. 

II 

_ 

36 

10 

50 

10 

Under  five  years  
Five  years  and  under  10,    

4 

- 

1 

7 

1 

11 

1 

10  years  and  under  14,        

6 

_ 

18 

1 

24 

1 

14  years  and  under  16  

4 

_ 

7 

2 

11 

2 

16  years  and  under  18  

_ 

_ 

4 

_ 

4 

Under  16  years,  exact  age  not  reported,     . 

— 

~ 

3 

2 

3 

2 

(4)     EARNINGS  AND  INCOME. 
(a)     Annual  Earnings  from  Home  Work. 

The  following  tables  show  the  earnings  for  the  year  preceding  the  date 
of  obtaining  the  pay-rolls  for  111  individual  home  workers  and  40  groups 
of  from  two  to  six  home  workers,  and  for  56  individuals  and  groups  who 
received  payments  during  nine  months  or  more  of  the  year,  for  which  in- 
formation was  obtained. 


104 


HOME    WORK   IN    MASSACHUSETTS 


TABLE  44.  —  Number  of  Families  of  Home  Workers  Earning  Each  Classified  Amount 
a  Year:  Jewelry  and  Silverware. 


NUMBER  OP  WORKERS 
IN  FAMILIES. 

Total 
Num- 
ber of 
Fami- 
lies 

Num- 
ber re- 
port- 
ing 
Earn- 
ings 

NUMBER  OF  FAMILIES  EARNING  EACH  CLASSIFIED 
AMOUNT  A  YEAR  — 

Less 
than 
825 

$25 
to 
$49.99 

$50 
to 
$99.99 

$100 
to 
$149.99 

$150 
to 
$199.99 

$200 
to 
$249.99 

$250 
to 

$299.99 

$300 
and 
over 

All  Families. 

One  worker, 
Two  workers, 
Three  workers, 
Four  workers, 
Five  workers, 
Six  workers, 

197 

153 
24 
13 

3 
3 

1 

151 

111 

22 
12 
3 
2 

1 

69 

55 
8 
4 
2 

18 

13 
2 

2 

30 

23 
5 
2 

17 

9 
2 
3 

2 
1 

4 

3 
1 

4 

2 
2 

4 

3 

1 

5 

1 
1 

Families  of  Home  Workers  Employed  for  Nine  Months  or  Over. 


All  Families. 

_ 

56 

1 

6 

22 

14 

2 

4 

3 

4 

One  worker, 

_ 

35 

1 

4 

17 

6 

1 

2 

2 

2 

Two  workers. 

_ 

13 

_ 

1 

5 

2 

2 

1 

1 

Three  workers, 

_ 

5 

_ 

1 

3 

_ 

1 

Four  workers, 

_ 

_ 

_ 

_ 

_ 

_ 

_ 

_ 

_ 

Five  workers, 

_ 

2 

_ 

_ 

_ 

2 

_ 

_ 

_ 

_ 

Six  workers, 

- 

1 

- 

- 

- 

1 

- 

- 

- 

- 

TABLE  45.  —  Percentage  of  Families  of  Home  Workers  Earning  kss  than  Specified 
Amount  a  Year:  Jewelry  and  Silverware. 


NUMBER  OF  WORKERS 
IN  FAMILIES. 

Total 
Num- 
ber of 
Fami- 
lies 

Num- 
ber re- 
port- 
ing 
Earn- 
ings 

PERCENTAGE  OF  FAMILIES  EARNING  A  YEAR  — 

Less 
than 
$25 

Less 
than 
$50 

Less 
than 
$100 

Less 
than 
$150 

Less 
than 
$200 

Less 
than 
$250 

Less 
than 
$300 

Less 
than 
$350 

All  Families. 

One  worker, 
Two  workers, 
Three  workers, 
Four  workers, 
Five  workers, 
Six  workers, 

197 

153 
24 
13 
3 
3 
1 

151 

111 
22 
12 
3 
2 
1 

45.7 

49.5 
36.4 
33.3 
66.7 

57.6 

61.3 
45.5 
50.0 
100.0 

77.5 

82.0 
68.2 
66.7 
100.0 

88.7 

90.1 
77.3 
91.7 
100.0 
100.0 
100.0 

91.4 

92.8 
81.8 
91.7 
100.0 
100.0 
100.0 

94.0 

94.6 
90.9 
91.7 
100.0 
100.0 
100.0 

96.7 

97.3 
95.5 
91.7 
100.0 
100.0 
100.0 

99.5 

99.1 
100.0 
100.0 
100.0 
100.0 
100.0 

Families  of  Home  Workers  Employed  for  Nine  Months  or  Over. 


All  Families. 

_ 

56 

1.8 

12.5 

51.8 

76.8 

80.4 

87.5 

92.9 

98.6 

One  worker, 

_ 

35 

2.9 

14.3 

62.9 

80.0 

82.9 

88.6 

94.3 

97.1 

Two  workers, 

_ 

13 

7.7 

46.2 

61.5 

69.2 

84.6 

92.3 

100.0 

Three  workers, 

_ 

5 

_ 

20.0 

20.0 

80.0 

80.0 

80.0 

80.0 

100.0 

Four  workers, 

_ 

_ 

_ 

— 

B- 

_ 

_ 

_ 

_ 

_ 

Five  workers, 

_ 

2 

_ 

_ 

_ 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

Six  workers, 

- 

1 

- 

- 

- 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

Almost  one-half  of  the  individuals  and  groups  of  home  workers  on 
jewelry  earned  less  than  $25,  and  almost  nine-tenths  of  them  earned  less 
than  $150.  Even  of  those  who  worked  for  nine  months  or  more  over 
one-half  earned  less  than  $100  and  none  as  much  as  $400.  It  is  evident 


REPORT   ON   JEWELRY   AND    SILVERWARE 


105 


that  only  in  the  case  of  a  few  individuals  could  life  be  sustained  on  these 
earnings.  They  are,  as  a  rule,  comparatively  small  additions  to  the  family 
incomes,  over  one-half  of  which  are  $1,000  or  more. 

(&)     Incomes  from  All  Sources. 

The  following  table  shows  that  the  amount  contributed  by  home  work 
to  the  family  incomes  is  in  most  cases  inconsiderable. 

TABLE  46.  —  Annual  Earnings  of  Families  from  Home  Work  on  Jewelry  and  Silverware 
and  Incomes  from  Other  Sources. 


NUMBER  HAVING  ANNUAL  INCOME  EXCLUSIVE  OF 

HOME  WORK  OP—  • 

ANNUAL  EARNINGS  FROM 
HOME  WORK. 

Totals 

$250 
and 
under 
$500 

$500 
and 
under 
$750 

$750 
and 
under 
$1,000 

$1,000 
and 
under 
$1,250 

$1,250 
and 
over 

Income 
not  Re- 
ported 

All  Families. 

197 

3 

23 

47 

34 

44 

46 

Under  125,  

69 

1 

9 

15 

13 

15 

16 

$25  and  under   $50,           ... 

18 

2 

2 

5 

6 

3 

$50  and  under  $100, 

30 

4 

7 

4 

6 

$100  and  under  $150, 

17 

- 

3 

2 

3 

5 

$150  and  under  $200, 

4 

_ 

1 

1 

_ 

1 

$200  and  under  $250, 

4 

- 

- 

- 

$250  and  under  $300, 

4 

_ 

_ 

3 

_ 

_ 

$300  and  under  $350, 

4 

- 

- 

- 

2 

$350  and  under  $400, 

1 

— 

.. 

1 

— 

_ 

M 

Earnings  not  reported, 

46 

- 

3 

13 

8 

9 

13 

(c)     Hourly  Earnings. 

The  amount  which  an  ordinary  worker  can  make  in  an  hour  at  the 
present  rates  of  pay  is  significant  in  determining  whether  or  not,  by  steady 
employment,  a  home  worker  in  this  industry  could  earn  a  living  wage. 
The  number  of  home  workers  on  Jewelry  and  Silverware  from  whom  in- 
formation as  to  hourly  earnings  was  secured  was  160.  Of  this  number 
about  one-fourth  (25.6  per  cent)  earned  less  than  eight  cents  an  hour, 
about  one-third  (32.5  per  cent)  earned  14  cents  an  hour  and  over,  and 
41.9  per  cent  earned  between  eight  and  14  cents  an  hour.  The  most  usual 
rate  of  10  cents  an  hour  is  a  high  one  for  home  work  and  would  permit  an 
individual  working  nine  hours  a  day  to  make  a  living. 

(5)     EXTENT  AND  CAUSES  OF  NON-EMPLOYMENT. 
The  following  table  shows  the  number  of  families  for  whom  pay-rolls 
were  obtained  who  were  idle  for  the  specified  causes  for  the  specified 
periods. 


106 


HOME    WORK   IN    MASSACHUSETTS 


TABLE  47.  —  Extent  and  Causes  of  Non-employment  for  Families  of  Home  Workers  on 

Jewelry  and  Silverware. 


NUMBEB  NOT  EMPLOYED  — 

Number 
who 

Number 

Started 

CAUSES  OF  NON-EMPLOYMENT. 

Totals 

Em- 

T 

Months 

Less 
than 
Three 
Months 

Three 
Months 
and  Less 
than 
Six 

Six 
Months 
and  Less 
than 

Nine 

Nine 
Months 
and  Less 
than  12 

Months 
not 
Stated 

Home 
Work 
after 
begin- 
ning of 
Year 

All  Causes. 

197 

31 

20 

31 

33 

35 

21 

26 

Enforced   idleness   due   to   an   in- 

dustrial cause,  . 

86 

_ 

17 

2S 

19             15 

12 

_ 

Dull  season, 

84 

- 

17 

23 

19 

13 

12 

- 

Other  employment,    . 

2 

- 

- 

- 

- 

2 

- 

- 

Illness  

7 

— 

1 

— 

S 

S 

— 

— 

Voluntary  idleness. 

S3 

_ 

2 

6 

9 

15 

« 

_ 

Started  home  work  after  beginning  of 

year  

26 

— 

— 

«— 

— 

26 

Employed  twelve  months, 

SI 

SI 

- 

_ 

- 

- 

- 

- 

Causes  not  reported. 

14 

~ 

** 

3 

2 

2 

7 

m 

The  cause  of  non-employment  in  nearly  one-half  of  the  instances  re- 
ported was  industrial.  The  seasonal  character  of  the  mesh  hag  business 
accounts  in  large  measure  for  the  high  percentage  of  workers  who  were 
idle  three  months  or  more.  The  voluntarily  idle  include  children  who 
make  purses  only  during  vacations  and  adults  who  work  only  for  Christ- 
mas money  or  who  stop  work  for  the  spring  and  autumn  house-cleaning 
and  sewing  or  go  into  the  factory  for  part  of  the  year. 

(6)     WORKING  CONDITIONS. 

From  the  consumers'  standpoint  the  conditions  under  which  the  work 
is  done  are  of  little  importance  because  almost  all  the  articles  taken  into 
the  homes  are  afterwards  cleaned  or  colored  at  the  factory.  For  the 
housekeeper  the  kitchen  table  is  often  the  most  convenient  place  for  the 
home  work  which  she  picks  up  at  odd  moments.  To  this,  she  screws  her 
bench  pin,  and  on  this  she  spreads  out  her  links  or  parts  to  be  assembled. 
The  kitchens  of  these  workers  were  found  to  be  usually  large  and  well 
ventilated,  warm  in  Winter,  and  one-half  of  the  workers  reported  doing 
their  work  there.  More  than  one-fourth  (29.5  per  cent)  of  the  workers, 
especially  chain  linkers,  did  their  work  in  any  room  convenient  at  the 
moment.  One  enamel  painter  had  a  regular  work  room.  There  is,  then, 
nothing  about  this  industry  to  necessitate  working  under  unsanitary  con- 
ditions and  the  homes  in  a  large  majority  of  instances  were  found  to  be 
in  most  satisfactory  condition,  and  in  none  was  there  overcrowding. 


REPORT   ON   JEWELRY   AND    SILVERWARE  107 

(7)        SUMMAEY. 

The  main  findings  may  be  summarized  as  follows: 

(1)  The  majority  of  the  home  workers  on  Jewelry  and  Silverware 
were  native  married  women  not  dependent  upon  home  work  for  a  living. 

(2)  Few  children  engaged  in  this  work  to  an  injurious  extent. 

(3)  While  annual  earnings  were  small,  the  hourly  earnings  of  the 
skilled  workers  were  sufficient  to  enable  the  home  worker  to  earn  a  living 
wage  if  steady  employment  were  given.     Rates  on  mesh  bags  are,  how- 
ever, rapidly  decreasing  and  few  workers  could  make  a  living  at  purse 
making. 

(4)  There  is  small  menace  to  worker  or  consumer  from  the  sanitary 
conditions  of  the  homes  in  which  the  work  is  carried  on. 


108  HOME   WORK   IN   MASSACHUSETTS 


3.    PAPER  GOODS 

BY  CAROLINE  E.  WILSON 

A.    Introductory. 

The  paper  goods  industry  of  Massachusetts  is  distributed  among  165 
factories  located  in  various  sections  of  the  Commonwealth,  but  principally 
in  the  eastern  portion  and  in  the  Connecticut  Valley.  Of  the  46  estab- 
lishments visited,  seven  reported  home  work.  The  principal  products  are 
boxes,  labels  and  tags,  stationery,  and  novelties.  Four  factories  which 
produce  confectionery  supplies,  boxes,  tags,  and  novelties  are  included  in 
the  present  study. 

B.    Processes  and  Rates  of  Fay. 

Home  work  on  Paper  Goods  is  almost  entirely  hand-work.  The 
simplest  process,  tag  stringing,  is  entirely  unskilled.1  The  operation  is 
practically  the  same  for  all  tags  from  small  jewelry  and  cut  glass  tags 
to  heavy  shoe  and  baggage  tags.2  A  string  is  looped  through  the  eye  of  the 
tag,  leaving  the  ends  ready  for  tying.  Stringing  jewelry  tags  is  more 
difficult,  owing  to  the  use  of  fine  silk  with  which  they  are  strung. 

The  work  on  "  spangled  tags  "  is  the  only  instance  of  machine  home 
work  on  Paper  Goods.8  "  Spangles  "  are  small  four-pronged  metal  caps 
which  are  to  be  fastened  in  the  ends  of  small  parchment  tags.  The  tags 
come  in  long  strips  partially  cut  out.  The  worker  puts  the  tag  and  the 
cap  in  the  proper  places  in  a  machine  which  is  worked  by  a  foot  treadle. 
One  movement  of  the  foot  treadle  clinches  two  prongs  to  the  tag  and  leaves 
two  others  for  fastening  the  tag  to  articles.  The  process  is  slow  and  re- 
quires accuracy.  The  machines  are  owned  and  kept  in  repair  by  the 
manufacturers.  Seven  of  the  workers  have  had  them  in  their  homes  for 
several  years.  Owing  to  the  fatigue  caused  by  the  monotony  of  perform- 
ing the  same  process  an  infinite  number  of  times,  tag  stringing  is  fre- 
quently described  as  "  nervous  work."  Workers  also  report  that  it  is  hard 
on  the  eyes,  and  that  fewer  children  would  need  glasses  if  there  were  no 
work  on  tags. 

Making  boxes  is  done  by  former  employees  who  have  been  specially 
trained  for  the  purpose.  The  boxes  sent  to  the  home  are  ring,  jewelry, 
and  coin  boxes.  The  worker  is  provided  with  paste,  glue,  brushes,  and 

i  See  Plate  IV,  facing  this  page;  figures  7  and  14,  Christmas  tags. 
»  See  Plate  IV,  facing  this  page;  figure  11,  baggage  tag. 

1  See  Plate  IV,  facing  this  page;  figure  4,  dry-goods  tag;  figure  5,  spangled  tag,  front  and  back;  figure  10, 
jewelry  tag. 


PLATE   IV. 


Fig.    1.  —  Skewer,  made  at  home. 

Figs.  2  and  3.  —  Flags,  assembled  at  home. 

Fig.      .  — •  Dry  goods  tag,  strung  at  home. 

Fig.      .  —  Spangled  tags,  front  and  back,  made  at  home. 

Fig.      .  —  Frill  for  chop. 

Figs,      and  14.  —  Christmas  tags,  strung  at  home. 

Fig.      .  —  Tennis  ball,  sewed  at  home. 

Fig.      .  —  Baseball,  sewed  at  home. 

Fig.  10.  —  Jewelry  tag,  strung  at  home. 

Fig.  11.  —  Baggage  tag,  strung  at  home. 

Fig.  12.  —  Whip  snap,  knotted  at  home. 

Fig.  13.  —  End  of  teaming  whip,  braided  at  home. 


REPORT   ON   PAPER   GOODS  109 

molds  of  various  sizes  by  the  manufacturer,  and  uses  a  special  workshop 
table  upon  which  the  materials  are  spread.  Pasteboard  frames,  cut  and 
marked,  and  paper  already  cut  are  sent  from  the  factory.  The  worker 
fits  the  frames  over  the  mold  and  pastes  the  paper  covering  over  the  bottom 
and  sides.  The  top  is  made  in  the  same  way.  If  the  box  is  to  be  hinged, 
the  worker  pastes  heavy  pieces  of  paper  from  the  inside  of  the  top  to  the 
inside  of  the  bottom  of  the  box.  The  boxes  are  sent  back  to  the  factory 
for  the  linings.  Drop  fronts  for  fancy  boxes  are  made  from  pasteboard 
with  red,  gold,  and  flowered  coverings. 

The  process  of  making  paper  flowers  is  exceedingly  complicated,  and 
varies  with  the  kind  of  flower  made.  The  making  of  the  carnation  is 
perhaps  typical.  The  parts  of  the  flower  are  cut  out  at  the  factory.  The 
home  worker  wraps  a  long  wire  stem  in  green  paper,  fastens  to  it  a  green 
calyx,  and  surrounds  the  calyx  with  numerous  folded  petals.  Cloves 
are  pounded  and  put  at  the  base  of  the  petals  in  order  to  give  the  flower  a 
fragrance.  Buds  and  leaves  are  wound  in  near  the  base  of  the  stem. 

Other  work  in  the  homes  includes  fancy  red  and  white  bells  made  by 
pasting  fringed  tissue  paper  to  buckram  frames;  frills  for  chops,  wound 
around  and  pasted  together ; l  paper  flags,  cut  out  and  pasted  on  sticks 
or  pins ;  2  paper  napkins,  folded  so  as  to  bring  the  decorated  corners  out- 
side; cardboard  with  tissue  paper  coverings  on  which  jewelry  is  to  be 
displayed;  jewelers'  mats  of  plush  and  velvet  for  show  cases;  and  caps 
to  be  put  inside  costume  crackers.  The  workers  using  fancy  paper  com- 
plained of  the  tiresome  effect  of  red  paper  on  the  eye.  The  eye-strain 
is  so  soon  felt  that  they  are  not  able  to  work  on  red  continuously  for  any 
length  of  time. 

Rates  of  Pay. 

Tags, $0.06  to  $0.20  a  1,000. 

Boxes,       . 12  to    2.50  a  gross. 

Drop  fronts, 25  to     .69  a  100. 

Flowers, 10  to      .30  a  dozen. 

Bells, .20  to      .50  a  dozen. 

Frills, 30  a  1,000. 

Flags, 25  to    1.50  a  1,000. 

Napkins, 20  to      .40  a  1,000. 

Jewelry  tissues, 05  a  100. 

Jewelry  mats, 68  to      .75  a  dozen. 

Caps, .23  a  100. 

1  See  Plate  IV,  facing  p.  108;  figure  1,  akewer;  figure  6,  frill  for  chop. 
*  See  Plate  IV,  facing  p.  108;  figures  2  and  3,  flags. 


110  HOME   WORK   IN   MASSACHUSETTS 


C.    The  Labor  Supply. 

The  supply  of  home  workers  on  Paper  Goods  more  than  exceeded  the 
demand,  except  in  one  case  where  the  local  supply  had  been  exhausted. 
The  exception  was  a  town  in  which  between  five  and  six  hundred  families 
strung  tags  or  did  some  other  kind  of  paper  goods  work.  The  manufac- 
turer in  this  town  found  it  necessary  to  establish  sub-stations  in  other 
towns  in  order  to  secure  a  sufficient  supply  of  home  workers. 

The  exact  number  of  home  workers  in  this  industry  could  not  be 
ascertained.  Between  1,500  and  2,000  names  appeared  upon  the  pay- 
rolls ;  but  in  many  instances  a  single  name  represented  a  group  of  workers, 
so  that  the  number  at  work  was  appreciably  greater  than  the  pay-rolls 
indicated.  The  workers  were  recruited  in  part  from  former  employees 
and  their  families  and  friends;  a  factory  employee  may  become  handi- 
capped for  factory  work  and  still  be  able  to  do  home  work;  or  a  woman 
employee  may  marry  and  wish  to  continue  her  work  at  home.  Some- 
times a  former  employee  who  has  been  an  especially  good  worker  is 
favored  with  rush  or  special  orders  by  her  former  foreman.  Factory 
employees  sometimes  take  work  home  for  themselves  or  their  families  when 
leaving  the  factory.  In  one  factory  where  this  is  not  allowed  it  is  neces- 
sary for  other  members  of  the  family  to  go  after  the  materials.  Informa- 
tion concerning  a  demand  for  additional  workers  spreads  so  quickly  that 
the  need  is  supplied  almost  immediately.  One  contractor  at  a  sub-station 
where  the  work  is  irregular  reported  that  his  method  was  to  announce  to 
two  or  three  of  his  workers  that  a  consignment  of  tags  was  expected  on  the 
following  day ;  these  workers  spread  the  news  so  effectually  that  more  than 
a  sufficient  number  were  on  hand  when  the  tags  arrived. 

The  staple  articles  of  this  industry  are  in  constant  demand.  The 
orders  for  tags,  always  strong  and  comparatively  steady,  have  been  in- 
creased by  the  establishment  of  the  parcel  post  far  beyond  any  point 
known  in  recent  years.  Nevertheless,  slight  variations  occur.  One  of 
the  sub-stations  obtained  only  an  intermittent  supply  of  work  lasting  for  a 
few  weeks  or  as  long  as  six  months.  When  tags  are  being  distributed,  each 
home  worker  is  required  to  take  out  work  every  night  unless  she  can  fur- 
nish a  good  excuse.  Failure  to  do  this  causes  the  worker  to  lose  her 
number,  and  with  it  her  chance  to  secure  work  for  some  time  to  come. 

In  certain  towns  on  Cape  Cod  tag  stringing  has  been  done  regularly 
for  nearly  60  years,  except  in  the  cranberry  season  and  during  the  summer 
months  when  the  demand  for  servants  comes  from  the  cottages  and  summer 
hotels,  and  then  tag  stringing  is  temporarily  abandoned.  At  this  season 


REPORT  ON  PAPER  GOODS  111 

the  manufacturer  can  make  good  the  deficiency  by  sending  work  to  sub- 
stations where  there  are  school  children  having  their  vacations. 

The  irregularities  in  the  supply  of  home  work  are  confined  mainly  to 
the  rush  and  special  orders  for  the  fancy  articles  which  can  not  be  antici- 
pated. Some  of  the  articles,  such  as  favors,  lose  their  freshness  and  must 
be  made  for  immediate  use.  The  rush  for  Christmas  boxes  and  novelties 
brings  abundant  work  for  several  months,  and  then  ceases  entirely.  The 
supply  of  labor  is  so  large  that  irregularities  coming  from  the  workers, 
such  as  the  abandonment  of  home  work  for  work  in  the  stores  in  the 
holiday  season  or  vacations,  have  little  effect  upon  the  industry.  As  a 
rule  it  is  that  part  of  the  process  which  is  simple  and  easily  performed  by 
hand  which  is  done  in  the  homes.  Tag  making  in  particular  lends  itself 
easily  to  home  work,  as  it  requires  little  teaching  and  no  supervision. 
Nevertheless,  machines  for  tag  stringing  are  already  in  use  in  the  factory, 
and  it  is  possible  that  at  no  distant  time  the  process  will  no  longer  be 
carried  on  in  the  homes. 

D.    Method  of  Distribution. 

Work  was  distributed  to  the  homes  in  two  ways:  Directly  from  the 
factory  and  indirectly  through  contractors.  Only  one  of  the  paper  goods 
factories  employed  contractors  or  middlemen  to  distribute  materials.  The 
six  connected  with  this  firm  had  various  business  agreements  with  the 
manufacturer.  Two  received  regular  salaries;  in  this  case  the  manufac- 
turer was  responsible  for  the  contractor's  office  or  the  "  tag-shop,"  and  the 
running  expenses.  One  contractor  received  a  commission  for  every  1,000 
tags  handled,  the  firm  maintaining  the  office.  The  other  three  contractors 
were  also  on  commission,  but  were  responsible  for  the  expenses  of  carry- 
ing on  their  part  of  the  business.  The  manufacturer  delivered  and  col- 
lected the  tags  handled  by  each  contractor.  The  tags  were  then  called  for 
by  the  worker  at  the  contractor's  shop  at  times  specified  by  him.  One  of 
the  contractors  received  a  fresh  supply  of  tags  every  afternoon,  gave  them 
out  to  the  workers  about  four  o'clock,  and  required  that  they  be  brought 
back  before  nine  the  next  morning.  This  contractor  refused  to  give  tags 
to  persons  who  had  to  pay  car  fare,  his  reason  being  that  "  they  would 
lose  money  on  it."  Rates  of  pay  for  home  work  were  determined  by  the 
manufacturer. 

E.    The  Worker. 

Home-work  processes  on  Paper  Goods  offer  a  wide  opportunity  for  the 
labor  of  the  unskilled,  the  aged,  and  the  very  young.  To  be  sure,  several 
skilled  processes  are  included  among  those  which  have  previously  been 


112 


HOME    WORK   IN    MASSACHUSETTS 


described;  but  these  are  in  the  minority,  and  in  Paper  Goods,  probably 
to  a  greater  extent  than  in  any  of  the  other  industries  included  in  the 
present  study,  the  unskilled  and  untrained  workers  predominate.  The 
simplicity  of  the  processes  and  the  ease  with  which  they  can  be  performed 
explain  to  a  large  extent  the  striking  fact  of  the  age  composition  of  the 
paper  goods  workers  —  the  large  number  of  young  children  and  aged 
persons  who  have  become  home  workers. 

(1)     SEX  AND  AGE. 

The  following  table  shows  the  predominance  of  children  and  women 
among  the  home  workers  in  this  industry. 

TABLE  48.  —  Sex  and  Age  of  Home  Workers  on  Paper  Goods. 


AGE  GROUPS. 

MALES 

FEMALES 

BOTH  SEXES 

Number 

Percent- 
ages1 

Number 

Percent- 
ages1 

Number 

Percent- 
ages1 

All  Ages. 

Under  five  years,        
Fire  years  and  under  10  
10  years  and  under  14  
14  years  and  under  16  
16  years  and  under  18,        

304 

1 

72 
100 
33 
15 
9 
9 
4 
1 
7 
5 

2 
5 

38 

100.0 

0.4 
27.1 
37.6 
12.4 
5.6 
3.4 
3.4 
1.5 
0.4 
2.6 
1.9 
1.1 

0.7 
1.9 

608 

7 
71 
97 
49 
30 
27 
20 
21 
20 
36 
33 
23 
9 
8 
27 
M30 

100.0 

1.5 
14.9 
20.3 
10.2 
6.3 
5.6 
.2 
.4 
.2 
.5 
.9 
.8 
.9 
.7 
.6 

912 

8 
143 
197 
82 
45 
36 
29 
25 
21 
43 
38 
26 
9 
10 
32 
»168 

100.0 

1.1 

19.2 
26.5 
11.  0 
6.0 
4.8 
3.9 
3.4 
2.8 
5.8 
5.1 
3.5 
1.3 
1.3 
4.3 

21  years  and  under  25,        
25  years  and  under  30,        

35  years  and  under  40  

45  years  and  under  50,         

50  years  and  under  55  
55  years  and  under  60,        
60  years  and  over,       
Age  not  reported,        

1  The  percentages  in  this  table  are  calculated  on  the  basis  of  the  number  reporting. 
*  Includes  one  female  under  16  years  of  age,  but  whose  exact  age  was  not  reported. 

In  all  the  industries  combined,  about  one-fifth  of  the  home  workers 
were  children  under  14.  The  surprising  degree  to  which  children  of 
paper  goods  workers  have  taken  up  the  occupation,  or  have  been  forced 
into  it,  is  indicated  by  the  fact  that  three-fourths  of  all  the  children  found 
doing  home  work  were  in  this  industry  and  made  up  nearly  one-half  of 
all  the  persons  working  on  Paper  Goods.  The  work  which  is  given  to  the 
children  is  usually  not  difficult,  but  it  is  mechanical  and  monotonous  and 
means  the  loss  of  the  out-of-door  play-time  which  is  almost  indispensable 
for  growing  children.  The  children  begin  work  as  soon  as  school  closes 
in  the  afternoon  and  many  of  them  are  kept  at  work  until  long  after  the 
hour  when  children  in  more  well-to-do  families  are  asleep. 


REPORT   ON   PAPER   GOODS 


113 


Old  people  seldom  compete  with  the  nimble-fingered  children  in  string- 
ing tags,  but  they  adapt  themselves  easily  to  some  of  the  simpler  opera- 
tions on  other  articles.  Several  elderly  men  were  found  folding  paper 
napkins,  and  two  elderly  women  in  a  small  town  near  Boston  worked  10 
hours  a  day  making  paper  flowers.  The  latter  lived  in  a  comfortable 
home,  but  old  age  had  left  them  without  a  sufficient  source  of  income; 
they  were  too  old  to  go  "  into  the  world  "  to  earn  money,  as  they  said,  and 
they  apparently  worked  quite  cheerfully  the  long  hours  which  were  neces- 
sary to  make  their  incomes  anything  beyond  a  mere  pittance. 

(2)     SCHOOL  ATTENDANCE. 

The  following  table  shows  the  number  of  children  under  18  years  of 
age,  by  age  groups,  attending  and  not  attending  school. 

TABLE  49.  —  School  Attendance  of  Home  Workers  on  Paper  Goods:  By  Age  and  Sex. 


AGE  GROUPS. 

NUMBER  OP 
MALES  — 

NUMBER  OP 
FEMALES  — 

NUMBER  OF 
BOTH  SEXES  — 

In 

School 

Not  in 
School 

In 
School 

Not  in 
School 

In 

School 

Not  in 
School 

Under  18  Tears. 

Under  five  years  
Five  years  and  under  10,  
10  years  and  under  14,  
14  years  and  under  16,  
16  years  and  under  18,  
Under  16  years,  exact  age  not  reported,  . 

196 

70 
100 
22 
4 

25 

1 
2 

11 
11 

206 

68 
05 
36 
6 
1 

49 

7 
3 
2 
13 
24 

402 

138 
195 
58 
10 

1 

74 

8 
5 
2 
24 
35 

Fortunately,  home  work  on  Paper  Goods  seldom  involves  absence  from 
school.  Very  few  children  were  found  out  of  school  at  the  time  when  the 
agents  visited  the  homes,  and  nearly  all  of  these  had  the  excuse  of  tem- 
porary illness.  Apparently  no  children  were  kept  out  of  school  for  the 
sole  purpose  of  doing  home  work,  although  several  of  the  "  sick  "  chil- 
dren were  busily  engaged  on  some  of  the  simpler  processes  when  the 
visits  were  made.  The  ill  effects  lie  mainly  in  the  physical  and  mental 
lassitude  which  seems  to  be  an  almost  invariable  effect  of  home  work 
upon  growing  children.  This  increasing  inactivity  as  the  busy  seasons 
in  Paper  Goods  progress  is  the  very  general  problem  of  the  public  school 
teachers  in  the  towns  where  home  work  is  common. 

In  the  age-group,  under  16,  boys  and  girls  were  found  in  nearly  equal 
numbers;  while  women  made  up  more  than  three-fourths  of  the  home 
workers  16  years  of  age  and  over  in  this  industry.  The  men  who  are  listed 


114  HOME   WORK   IN   MASSACHUSETTS 

in  the  tables  were  nearly  all  working  men,  who  helped  on  the  paper 
goods  work  only  in  the  evening.  They  seldom  worked  steadily  and  rarely 
had  long  hours  to  give  to  the  task.  It  was  the  women,  particularly  married 
women  with  homes  of  their  own,  who  were  found  in  home  work  in  the 
greatest  numbers.  For  the  wife  of  a  factory  worker  the  busiest  hours  of 
the  day  are  in  the  morning,  and  at  night  when  the  men  come  home  from 
work.  Several  hours  in  the  middle  of  the  day  can  usually  be  utilized  for 
such  simple  processes  as  tag  stringing,  which  can  be  taken  up  or  put  aside 
at  a  moment's  notice.  Several  of  the  workers  seemed  to  have  a  box  of  tags 
always  beside  them,  so  that  not  a  minute  might  be  lost. 

The  woman  home  worker  living  away  from  home,  or  "  the  woman 
adrift "  as  she  has  come  to  be  called,  is  very  seldom  found  doing  home 
work  of  this  kind.  The  rates  of  pay  are  so  low  that  the  impossibility  of 
making  a  living  from  them  must  be  apparent  at  the  start,  and  the  woman 
who  has  her  own  way  to  make  seeks  out  other  occupations.  Instead,  it  is 
the  wife  or  mother  of  a  factory  worker,  with  a  regular  weekly  wage  com- 
ing into  the  family,  who  utilizes  home  work  to  afford  a  small  margin  for 
those  things  which  otherwise  the  family  must  do  without.  Occasionally 
the  woman  home  worker  is  herself  a  factory  employee.  One  such  instance 
was  found  in  a  thrifty  family  in  a  small  town,  in  which  the  father,  the 
only  male  member  of  the  family,  had  been  an  invalid  for  several  years, 
and  the  three  grown  daughters  had  taken  his  place  in  the  support  of  the 
family  by  working  in  a  nearby  factory.  In  the  evening  they  joined  the 
mother  and  father  in  doing  home  work  on  fancy  paper  articles. 

(3)     EARNINGS  AND  INCOMES. 
(a)     Annual  Earnings  from  Home  Work. 

The  rates  of  pay  for  the  various  articles  were  so  low  that  even  with 
fairly  steady  work,  the  annual  earnings  for  individual  workers  seemed 
exceedingly  small,  and  were,  in  fact,  decidedly  lower  than  in  most  of  the 
other  industries  under  consideration.  The  following  tables  show  the 
number  and  percentage  of  individual  home  workers  and  groups  of  home 
workers  who  earned  the  specified  annual  amounts  during  the  year  pre- 
ceding the  date  pay-rolls  were  obtained. 


REPORT   ON   PAPER   GOODS 


115 


TABLE  50.  —  Number  of  Families  of  Home  Workers  on  Paper  Goods  Earning  each 

Classified  Amount  a  Year. 


NUMBER  OF  WORKERS 
IN  FAMILIES. 

Total 
Num- 
ber of 
Fam- 

Num- 
ber re- 
port- 
ing 
Earn- 

NUMBER or  FAMILIES  EARNING  A  YEAR  — 

Less 

than 

$25 
to 

$50 
to 

$100 
to 

$150 
to 

$200 
to 

$250 
to 

$300 
and 

ings 

$25 

$49.99 

$99.99 

$149.99 

$199.99 

$249.99 

$299.99 

over 

All  Families. 

296 

247 

68 

62 

50 

28 

20 

7 

7 

5 

One  worker, 

78 

62 

18 

13 

11 

9 

7 

2 

1 

1 

Two  workers. 

60 

46 

13 

13 

12 

6 

1 

1 

Three  workers, 

39 

34 

12 

5 

7 

7 

2 

1 

_ 

Four  workers, 

50 

46 

16 

13 

10 

1 

4 

_ 

2 

Five  workers, 

39 

31 

5 

11 

3 

2 

5 

3 

2 

Six  workers, 

14 

13 

1 

5 

4 

1 

2 

_ 

Seven  workers. 

11 

11 

3 

2 

2 

1 

1 

1 

1 

Eight  workers, 
Nine  workers. 

4 
1 

3 

1 

1 

2 

~ 

1 

Families  of  Home  Workers  Employed  for  Nine  Months  or  Over. 


All  Families. 

_ 

126 

2 

25 

35 

26 

19 

7 

7 

5 

One  worker, 

_ 

34 

I 

8 

7 

7 

7 

2 

1 

1 

Two  workers,    . 

_ 

29 

1 

9 

11 

6 

1 

1 

Three  workers,  . 

_ 

17 

2 

5 

7 

2 

1 

_ 

Four  workers,  . 

_ 

20 

_ 

6 

7 

1 

4 

_ 

2 

Five  workers,    . 

_ 

13 

_ 

2 

2 

4 

3 

2 

Six  workers, 

_ 

5 

_ 

_ 

2 

2 

_ 

Seven  workers,  . 

_ 

5 

_ 

_ 

1 

1 

_ 

1 

1 

1 

Eight  workers,  . 
Nine  workers,   . 

: 

2 
1 

: 

: 

2 

: 

1 

TABLE  51.  —  Percentage  of  Families  of  Home  Workers  on  Paper  Goods  Earning  less 

than  Specified  Amount  a  Year. 


rp     .     | 

Num- 

PERCENTAGE OF  FAMILIES  EARNING  A  YEAR  — 

NUMBER  OF  WORKERS 
IN  FAMILIES. 

lotal 
Num- 
ber of 

T?om 

ber  re- 
port- 
ing 

Less 

Less 

Less 

Less 

Less 

Less 

Less 

Less 

J?  8,1X1- 
;i;_  — 

Earn- 

than 

than 

than 

than 

than 

than 

than 

than 

ilies 

ings 

$25 

$50 

$100 

$150 

$200 

$250 

$300 

$350 

All  Families. 

296 

247 

27.5 

52.6 

72.9 

84.2 

92.3 

95.1 

98.0 

99.2 

One  worker. 

78 

62 

29.0 

50.0 

67.7 

82.3 

93.5 

96.8 

98.4 

100.0 

Two  workers, 

60 

46 

28.3 

56.5 

82.6 

95.7 

97.8 

97.8 

97.8 

97.8 

Three  workers, 

39 

34 

35.3 

50.0 

70.6 

91.2 

97.1 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

Four  workers, 

50 

46 

34.8 

63.0 

84.8 

87.0 

95.7 

95.7 

95.7 

97.8 

Five  workers, 

39 

31 

16.1 

51.6 

61.3 

67.7 

83.9 

93.5 

100.0 

100.0 

Six  workers, 

14 

13 

7.7 

46.2 

76.9 

76.9 

84.6 

84.6 

100.0 

100.0 

Seven  workers, 

11 

11 

27.3 

45.5 

63.6 

72.7 

72.7 

81.8 

90.9 

100.0 

Eight  workers. 

4 

3 

33.3 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

Nine  workers, 

1 

- 

- 

100.0  . 

100.0 

Families  of  Home  Workers  Employed  for  Nine  Months  or  Over. 


All  Families. 

_ 

126 

1.6 

21.4 

49.2 

69.8 

84.9 

90.5 

96.0 

98.4 

One  worker, 

_ 

34 

2.9 

26.5 

47.1 

67.6 

88.2 

94.1 

97.1 

100.0 

Two  workers, 

- 

29 

3.4 

34.5 

72  4 

93.1 

96.6 

96.6 

96.6 

96.6 

Three  workers, 

_ 

17 

11.8 

41.2 

82  4 

94.1 

100  0 

100.0 

100.0 

Four  workers, 

_ 

20 

_ 

30.0 

65.0 

70.0 

90.0 

90.0 

90.0 

95.0 

Five  workers. 

_ 

13 

_ 

15.4 

30.8 

61.5 

84.6 

100.0 

100.0 

Six  workers, 

_ 

5 

_ 

_ 

40.0 

40.0 

60.0 

60.0 

100.0 

100.0 

Seven  workers, 

_ 

5 

_ 

_ 

20.0 

40.0 

40.0 

60.0 

80.0 

100.0 

Eight  workers, 

_ 

2 

_ 

_ 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100  0 

Nine  workers, 

— 

~ 

— 

— 

100.0 

100.0 

116 


HOME   WORK   IN   MASSACHUSETTS 


Over  nine-tenths  (92.3  per  cent)  of  the  individual  workers  and  groups 
of  workers  in  the  paper  goods  industry  whose  pay-rolls  were  available 
earned  less  than  $200  from  home  work  in  the  year  preceding  the  date 
pay-rolls  were  obtained.  Fortunately  the  workers  are  not  subject  to  as 
frequent  or  extended  periods  of  non-employment  as  those  in  certain  other 
industries.  In  home  work  on  tags  (constituting  a  large  part  of  home  work 
on  Paper  Goods)  practically  no  seasonal  fluctuations  are  noted. 

(&)     Incomes  from  All  Sources. 

The  following  table  shows  the  number  of  families  of  home  workers 
receiving  specified  annual  incomes,  exclusive  of  home  work,  and  annual 
earnings  from  home  work. 

TABLE  52.  —  Annual  Earnings  of  Families  from  Home  Work  on  Paper  Goods  and 

Incomes  from  Other  Sources. 


NUMBER  HAVING  ANNUAL  INCOME  EXCLUSIVE  OF 

Num- 

Total 

HOME  WORK  OF  — 

ber  De- 
_  __.  j 

ANNUAL  EARNINGS 

Num- 

pend- 

FBOM HOME  WORK. 

ber  of 
Fam- 
ilies 

$50 
and 
under 
$250 

$250 
and 
under 
$500 

$500 
and 
under 
$750 

$750 
and 
under 
$1,000 

$1,000 
and 
under 
$1,250 

$1,250 
and 
Over 

In- 
come 
not 
Stated 

ent  on 
Home 
Work 
Exclu- 
sively 

All  Families. 

296 

9 

28 

59 

69 

38 

51 

41 

1 

Under  $25  

68 

1 

4 

20 

18 

7 

8 

10 

_ 

$25  and  under    $50,     . 

62 

2 

3 

8 

14 

15 

9 

11 

_ 

$50  and  under  $100,      . 

50 

4 

6 

10 

9 

4 

11 

5 

1 

$100  and  under  $150,      . 

28 

1 

6 

2 

9 

2 

4 

4 

_ 

$150  and  under  $200,     . 

20 

3 

5 

1 

6 

4 

_ 

$200  and  under  $250,      . 

7 

1 

_ 

1 

2 

1 

2 

_ 

$250  and  under  $300,      . 

7 

- 

3 

1 

2 

1 

- 

$300  and  under  $350,      . 

3 

_ 

_ 

2 

_ 

_ 

_ 

1 

_ 

$350  and  under  $400, 

1 

_ 

1 

_ 

_ 

_ 

_ 

$400  and  under  $450,      . 

_ 

1 

_ 

_ 

_ 

_ 

_ 

Earnings  not  reported, 

49 

- 

7 

10 

13 

6 

10 

3 

- 

The  meager  earnings  from  home  work  made  up  only  a  small  item  in 
the  income  of  most  of  the  families  at  work  on  Paper  Goods.  Only  one 
family  made  an  attempt  to  live  on  the  proceeds  of  home  labor.  More  than 
one-half  had  an  outside  income  of  $750  or  more  a  year  and  more  than 
one-third  had  over  $1,250.  Many  of  such  families  might  give  up  home 
work  and  still  not  lack  the  necessities  of  life;  but  a  smaller  group,  that 
with  outside  earnings  of  less  than  $750  a  year,  was  made  up  of  many 
families  who  were  saved  from  keen  deprivation  of  one  kind  or  another  by 
the  small  margin  which  corresponds  to  the  home-work  income. 

(4)     EXTENT  AND  CAUSES  OF  NON-EMPLOYMENT. 
On  the  whole,  non-employment  plays  only  a  small  part  in  determining 
the  low  level  of  pay  in  this  industry.     The  simplicity  of  the  processes 
and  a  plentiful  supply  of  labor,  resulting  in  an  extremely  low  piece-rate, 


REPORT   ON   PAPER   GOODS 


117 


make  a  high  hourly  or  weekly  rate  impossible  for  even  the  most  rapid 
workers.  The  following  table  shows  the  extent  and  the  causes  of  non- 
employment. 

TABLE  53.  —  Extent  and  Causes  of  Non-employment  for  Families  of  Home  Workers  on 

Paper  Goods. 


NUMBER  NOT  EMPLOYED 

Number 

Number 

Started 

CAUSES  OF  NON-EMPLOYMENT. 

Totals 

Em- 
ployed 
12 
Months 

Less 
than 
Three 
Months 

Three 
Months 
and  Less 
than 
Six 

Six 

Months 
and  Less 
than 
Nine 

Nine 
Months 
and  Less 
than  12 

Months 
Not 
Stated 

Home 
Work 
after 
begin- 
ning of 

Year 

All  Causes. 

296 

102 

30 

28 

69 

6 

28 

S3 

Enforced  idleness   due   to   an    in 

du*  trial  cause,  . 

54 

_ 

8 

8 

57 

1 

_ 

4 

Dull  season. 

50 

_ 

8 

6 

35 

1 

_ 

— 

Other  employment,     . 

4 

- 

2 

2 

- 

- 

Illness  

8 

m 

4 

_. 

1 

. 

M 

« 

Voluntary  idleness, 

12 

- 

2 

6 

S 

. 

1 

- 

Change  of  residence, 

2 

- 

_ 

- 

2 

- 

- 

- 

Other  

1 

_ 

1 

_ 

_ 

M 

— 

n 

Started  home  work  after  beginning 

of  year,     .... 
Employed  12  months, 

SS 
102 

102 

~ 

: 

: 

_ 

— 

U 

Causes  not  reported, 

88 

~ 

IS 

U 

25 

S 

27 

" 

The  workers  interviewed  rarely  mentioned  any  cause  of  non-employ- 
ment beside  the  dull  seasons  which  affect  the  supply  of  work  on  some  of 
the  more  elaborate  articles,  such  as  fancy  boxes.  A  few  persons  had  given 
up  work  because  they  had  tired  of  it  or  had  decided  that  the  rates  of  pay 
were  too  low  to  make  the  occupation  a  profitable  one,  or  for  other  personal 
and  voluntary  reasons. 

The  main  source  of  income  in  the  household  of  the  ordinary  home 
worker  was  factory  employment.  The  father,  and  often  the  sons  and 
daughters  over  the  age  of  14,  enter  factory  work,  as  the  line  of  employ- 
ment offering  the  least  resistance  to  the  untrained  person,  and  find  that 
"  once  a  factory  hand  always  a  factory  hand."  In  many  cases  the  prin- 
cipal wage-earners  of  the  family  are  themselves  at  work  on  Paper  Goods 
in  the  factory.  With  the  prevailing  piece-rates  from  six  cents  to  20  cents 
a  thousand,  it  is  very  difficult  for  the  ordinary  tag  stringer  to  earn  much 
more  than  seven  or  eight  cents  an  hour.  The  more  complicated  processes 
were  much  better  paid,  but  the  proportion  of  skilled  workers  was  so  small, 
and  the  tag  stringers  so  numerous  that  in  comparison  with  the  other  indus- 
tries the  hourly  rates  for  paper  articles  appear  lower  than  those  in  any 
other  of  the  important  industries  studied. 

Fortunately  for  the  paper  goods  workers,  their  earnings  are  seldom 
depleted  by  charges  for  materials,  equipment,  or  transportation,  which 


118  HOME   WORK   IN   MASSACHUSETTS 

make  up  a  much  more  important  item  in  some  of  the  other  industries.  In 
nearly  every  case  the  workers  themselves  call  for  their  materials  at  the 
factory  and,  for  a  few  workers  who  live  at  a  distance,  this  trip  involves  the 
expenditure  of  10  cents  for  car  fare ;  but  in  the  majority  of  cases  the  homes 
are  so  near  the  factory  or  the  delivery  station  that  not  only  no  money  but 
only  a  few  minutes'  time  is  necessary  in  order  to  transfer  the  materials 
to  the  home. 

A  rather  common  aspect  of  home  work  in  many  industries  is  the  fre- 
quency with  which  the  workers  change  from  employment  under  one  manu- 
facturer to  employment  under  another.  In  Paper  Goods  such  changes  are 
rarely  made,  probably  because  the  principal  firms  which  give  out  home 
work  are  few  in  number  and  practically  have  a  monopoly  of  the  home 
labor  supply. 

(5)     WORKING  CONDITIONS. 

Throughout  the  course  of  the  study  particular  attention  was  paid  to 
the  character  of  the  places  in  which  work  was  carried  on,  sanitation,  and 
the  possibility  of  contagious  disease.  Only  two  regular  workrooms  were 
found,  and  in  most  cases  the  work  was  done  in  the  kitchens  where  food 
was  in  preparation  and  young  children  were  cared  for.  In  a  few  families 
bedrooms  were  used  for  workrooms.  In  general,  however,  the  rooms  were 
up  to  a  fair  standard  of  cleanliness  and  sanitation.  No  cases  of  contagious 
disease  were  found  in  places  where  home  work  was  being  done. 

There  is  no  provision  for  licensing  the  tenement  manufacture  of  paper 
articles  in  Massachusetts.  In  many  ways  disease  might  as  easily  be  trans- 
mitted through  articles  of  this  kind  as  through  the  various  articles  of 
wearing  apparel  which  have  fortunately  received  more  attention.  Paper 
napkins,  flowers,  and  frills  for  chops,  are  potentially  quite  as  efficient 
germ-carriers  as  various  articles  of  clothing,  and  there  appears  to  be  no 
reason  why  the  control  of  home  manufacture  should  not  be  extended  to 
such  articles  as  these,  not  only  for  the  protection  of  the  consumer,  but  to 
insure  better  working  standards  among  those  who  share  in  the  productive 
process. 


REPORT  ON  CELLULOID  GOODS  119 


4.  CELLULOID  GOODS 

BY  MARGARET  HUTTON  ABELS 

A.    Introductory. 

In  1770  Obadiah  Hills  established  the  comb  industry  in  Leominster, 
making  horn  combs  by  hand  in  his  kitchen.  Since  his  time,  the  "  comb 
shop  "  has  flourished  and  Leominster  produces  a  large  portion  of  the  combs 
and  hairpins  made  in  the  United  States.  About  1895,  celluloid  began  to 
displace  horn,  hoof,  shell,  and  ivory  as  material  for  combs.  This  com- 
position was  discovered  by  the  Hyatt  brothers  of  Albany,  New  York,  in 
1869  and  has  gained  steadily  in  favor  in  spite  of  the  prejudice  against  it 
due  to  its  inflammability.  At  the  present  time,  celluloid  is  used  almost 
exclusively  in  the  manufacture  of  combs  and  hairpins,  and  an  ever  in- 
creasing number  of  toilet  articles  and  novelties  is  made  from  it.  Massa- 
chusetts leads  the  United  States  in  this  industry  and  28  out  of  a  total 
of  41  factories  in  the  State  making  celluloid,  horn,  hoof  and  shell  hair  orna- 
ments and  toilet  articles,  and  celluloid  novelties  are  located  at  Leominster. 
The  others  are  situated  at  Athol,  Attleborough,  Fitchburg,  Lowell,  New- 
buryport,  and  Worcester.  Fifteen  firms,  14  of  them  in  Leominster,  give 
out  work  to  be  done  in  the  home. 

B.    Processes  and  Rates  of  Pay. 
(1)     HAIRPINS  AND  BUTTONS. 

Twelve  manufacturers  send  out  to  a  few  women  the  simple  work  of 
preparing  cards  and  boxes  for  hairpins,  and  sewing  hairpins  and  buttons 
on  cards.  A  list  of  the  processes  with  the  rate  of  pay  for  each  follows : 

Sewing  cards  to  hold  hairpins, $0 . 35  a  100. 

.08  a  dozen. 

Sewing  is  done  over  wooden  forms  to  make  stitches  even. 

Sewing  hairpins  on  cards, $0 . 25  to  $0 . 72  a  gross  cards. 

Two  or  three  pins  on  a  card. 

Pasting  small  wooden  blocks  on  cardboard  nests  (or  boxes)  for 

hairpins, $0.20  a  1,000. 

Pasting  gummed  labels  on  nests  for  hairpins, 04  a  100. 

Pasting  gummed  labels  on  display  rolls, 12  an  hour. 

Sewing  buttons  on  cards  (with  shanks), $0. 12  to       .25  a  gross. 

Sewing  buttons  on  cards  (without  shanks), 15  to       .30  a  gross. 


120  HOME   WORK   IN   MASSACHUSETTS 

(2)     CELLULOID  NOVELTIES. 

Five  firms  employ  the  majority  of  all  home  workers  on  celluloid  novel- 
ties. The  work  consists  largely  in  linking  chains,  putting  fans  together, 
and  weaving  baskets.  Chains  are  made  of  celluloid  links  which  are  so 
flexible  that  they  are  easily  put  together  by  hand  and  many  children  were 
found  helping  with  this  work.1  Sometimes  the  links  come  to  the  worker 
uncut,  in  which  case  a  slit  must  be  made  with  a  clip  in  every  other  link 
used.  Sometimes  the  links  come  in  pairs,  one  cut  and  one  uncut,  which 
must  be  broken  apart.  The  rates  paid  for  work  on  chains  follow : 

Rates  of  Pay. 

Linking  celluloid  chains  for  fans,       ....      $0.01?  to    $0.02  per  48  inches. 
Fastening  celluloid  chains  on  picture  frames, 10  a  dozen. 

The  work  upon  fans  comprises  five  processes,  usually  performed  by 
different  persons :  (1)  Stringing,  or  counting  out  and  assembling  the  middle 
and  outside  ribs  and  putting  a  pin  through  them  at  the  bottom;  (2)  rivet- 
ing, or  clipping  off  the  pin  after  adding  the  handle,  and  hammering  the 
clipped  end  to  make  it  hold;  (3)  pegging,  or  covering  the  ends  of  the  pins 
with  celluloid  pegs  which  are  dipped  with  a  pick  into  liquid  celluloid; 

(4)  running  ribbon  through  the  slits  in  the  ribs  with  a  tape  needle;  and 

(5)  cementing  this  ribbon  to  the  ribs  with  liquid  celluloid,  which  becomes 
a  part  of  the  article  cemented.2    Stringing  and  running  in  the  ribbon  can 
readily  be  done  by  children.    A  list  of  processes  and  rates  follows : 

Processes  and  Rates  of  Pay.3 

Stringing, $0.09  to    $0.12  a  gross. 

Assembling  the  ribs  and  putting  a  pin  through  them. 

Riveting, 09  a  gross. 

Putting  on  handle,  clipping  off  end  of  pin  and  hammering  clipped  end  to  make  it  hold. 

Pegging,  06  a  gross. 

Putting  celluloid  pegs  over  ends  of  pins  and  cementing. 

Running  ribbon  into  fans  with  tape  needle,      .       .       .  .25  to        .65  a  gross. 

Cementing  ribbon  on  fans, .  24  to        .  48  a 


In  weaving  baskets,  the  first  process  is  preparing  the  comb  parts,  cor- 
responding to  the  warp  in  cloth  weavings.4     The  comb  part  is  cut  to  fit  the 


See  Plate  V,  figure  1,  facing  this  page. 
'  See  Plate  V,  figures  1  and  2,  facing  this  page. 
'  For  all  work  on  fans  a  gross  means  150. 
*  See  Plate  V,  figure  6,  facing  this  page. 


PLATE   V. 


Fig.  1.  —  Celluloid  fan  with  the  ribs  strung,  the  handle  put  on,  and  the  rivet  put  in  but  not  cov- 
ered with  the  celluloid  pegs.  The  ribbon  has  been  run  in  part  way  but  not  cemented.  The 
chain  is  complete. 

Fig.  2.  —  Small  fan  complete,  with  metal  chain. 

Fig.  3.  —  Woven  napkin  ring  completed. 

Fig.  4.  —  Brush  holder.  Before  it  was  bent  and  fastened  with  the  handle,  the  strips  of  colored 
celluloid  were  run  in  by  home  workers. 

Fig.  5.  —  Soap  box  on  which  the  celluloid  cameo  has  been  cemented. 

Fig.  6.  —  Comb  part  of  a  basket. 

Fig.  7.  —  Comb  part  cemented  into  bottom  of  basket  and  strand  with  which  it  is  to  be  woven. 

Fig.  8.  —  Completed  basket  with  the  cover  on. 


REPORT  ON  CELLULOID  GOODS   .  121 

bottom  of  the  basket  where  it  is  secured  with  eight  or  10  clothespins  for 
10  or  15  minutes  until  dry.  These  comb  parts  are  then  sent  to  other 
workers  who  place  them  over  wooden  forms  clamped  to  the  table,  and 
weave  celluloid  strands  in  and  out  so  rapidly  that  an  observer's  eye  can 
not  follow  the  operation.1  Two  strands  52  inches  long  are  required  for  a 
basket  four  inches  long,  2%  inches  wide,  and  1%  inches  deep.  When  the 
weaving  is  finished  the  top  strand  is  cemented  to  the  ends  of  the  comb 
parts  to  prevent  raveling  and  the  basket  is  ready  to  go  to  the  factory  to 
have  the  top  rim  cemented  on  and  the  cover  fitted.2  A  list  of  processes 
and  rates  follows : 

Rates  of  Pay. 

Cementing  bottoms  on  baskets  (4 X2|X1£  inches),      ....     $0.60  a  gross. 
Weaving  baskets  (4X2|X1|  inches)  and  cementing  tops,    .       .       .         .12  a  dozen. 
Weaving  napkin  rings  and  cementing  tops,3 09  a  dozen . 

There  are  also  many  miscellaneous  processes  upon  celluloid  novelties 
which  are  done  outside  the  factory.  A  list  of  these  with  the  rates  of  pay 
for  each  follows: 

Rates  of  Pay. 
Stitching  pincushions, $0 . 25  a  gross. 

Made  from  scraps  of  velvet  and  satin.    Celluloid  rims  are  put  on  in  the  factory. 

Stitching  pincushions  and  stuffing  with  sawdust, 30  a  gross. 

Cementing  celluloid  cameos  on  tops  of  soap  boxes,4      .       .       .       .20  a  gross. 

Cementing  bottoms  on  soap  boxes, 20  a  gross. 

Cementing  pegs  on  bottoms  of  soap  boxes, 16  a  gross  boxes. 

Cementing  bottoms  on  glass  coasters  of  celluloid, 06  a  dozen. 

Sandpapering  pegs  (for  bottoms  of  boxes), 02  a  gross. 

Running  ribbon  into  bandeaux  and  tying  bow  at  one  side,  .       .       .60  a  gross. 
Running  ribbon  into  baskets  and  tying  bow, 60  a  gross. 

The  work  on  Celluloid  Goods  is,  in  general,  clean  and  easy,  requires 
little  or  no  training,  does  not  necessitate  the  maintenance  of  a  tiresome 
position,  can  be  done  intermittently  and  in  any  part  of  the  house,  and  is 
not  hard  upon  the  eyes.  Weaving  and  cementing  only,  require  any  degree 
of  skill.  The  two  objectionable  features  of  the  work  are  the  inflammability 
of  celluloid  and  the  odor  of  the  cement.  Celluloid  is,  however,  not  ex- 
plosive and  is  inflammable  only  in  direct  contact  with  flame  or  when 
heated  highly  enough  to  cause  decomposition  of  the  material.  Although 
the  cement  is  not  poisonous,  the  odor  is  apt  to  make  workers  ill  until  they 

i  See  Plate  V,  figure  7,  facing  p.  120. 

*  See  Plate  V,  figure  8,  facing  p.  120. 

*  See  Plate  V,  figure  3,  facing  p.  120. 

*  See  Plate  V,  figure  5,  facing  p.  120. 


122  HOME   WORK   IN   MASSACHUSETTS 

have  become  accustomed  to  it  and  is  so  distressing  to  some  workers  that 
they  are  obliged  to  confine  themselves  to  processes  into  which  the  use  of 
cement  does  not  enter. 

C.    The  Labor  Supply. 

The  average  number  of  home  workers  employed  by  the  14  firms  re- 
porting was  134  for  the  year.  Interviews  with  58  workers,  whose  names 
were  taken  at  random  from  five  pay-rolls,  showed  96  persons  actually 
doing  the  work  taken  out  by  these  58.  If  the  proportion  of  workers  to 
names  upon  the  pay-rolls  is  the  same  for  the  whole  industry,  there  were 
about  222  home  workers  on  Celluloid  Goods,  or  18.5  per  cent  of  the  total 
number  of  workers  of  the  14  establishments.  These  received  1.5  per  cent 
of  the  whole  amount  paid  for  wages. 

Most  of  the  home  workers  in  this  industry  are  relatives,  friends,  or 
neighbors  of  the  factory  employees  and  contractors.  Usually  the  supply 
of  workers  is  sufficient  to  meet  the  demand,  and  an  occasional  advertise- 
ment in  the  rush  season  brings  more  than  can  be  employed.  The  shift  is 
inconsiderable  among  the  workers  who  sew  cards  and  prepare  boxes  and 
among  those  who  do  the  skilled  work  for  contractors,  but  it  is  marked 
among  those  working  directly  for  the  factories  and  doing  the  unskilled 
work  on  novelties. 

Sewing  cards  for  hairpins  has  been  done  at  home  for  many  years  but 
is  steadily  decreasing  in  amount  because  boxes  are  more  and  more  used 
in  place  of  cards.  Home  work  upon  celluloid  novelties  has  been  done  to 
some  extent  for  four  or  five  years,  but  in  1912  the  fad  for  these  articles 
created  a  demand  which  was  met  by  the  employment  of  a  greatly  increased 
number  of  outside  workers.  When  the  fad  declines  the  amount  of  home 
work  will  undoubtedly  be  greatly  reduced. 

D.    Method  of  Distribution. 

Home  workers  call  for  the  work  at  the  factory  or  at  the  residences  of 
the  contractors  and  pay  no  charges  for  transportation,  except  car  fare 
in  the  case  of  those  who  live  at  a  distance.  Often  factory  employees 
carry  the  work  back  and  forth  for  friends  and  relatives.  Contractors"  pay 
for  the  transportation  to  and  from  the  factory  of  the  work  which  they  give 
out.  Thirteen,  or  28.9  per  cent  of  the  home  workers,  paid  charges  for 
equipment,  such  as  wire  cutters,  pinchers,  etc. 

Only  two  contractors  were  found  in  this  industry  and  they  handled  the 
more  skilled  work.  One  contractor  had  a  monopoly  of  one  process.  The 


REPORT  ON  CELLULOID  GOODS 


123 


manufacturers  determine  the  rate  of  pay  to  the  contractors  and  the  latter 
get  the  work  done  as  cheaply  as  they  can  in  order  to  obtain  the  highest 
possible  profit. 

E.    The  Worker. 

Personal  data  regarding  the  home  worker,  including  the  work,  the 
conditions  under  which  it  is  done,  and  its  effects  upon  his  health,  and  the 
welfare  of  his  family  have  profound  social  significance  and  must  receive 
consideration  in  some  detail.  The  nativity  of  the  home  worker,  because 
indicative  of  his  standard  of  living,  is  of  primary  importance  in  this  dis- 
cussion. The  prevalence  of  native-born  workers  and  the  preponderance  of 
the  thrifty  French  Canadians  among  the  foreign-born  account  for  the  rel- 
atively high  standard  among  celluloid  workers.  There  was,  however,  a 
noticeably  large  number  of  Italians  among  the  workers'  fathers.  A  num- 
ber of  workers  of  other  nationalities  complained  that  the  Italian  foremen 
in  the  factories  favored  their  countrywomen  in  giving  out  home  work  and 
that  the  increasing  Italian  population  was  partially  responsible  for  reduc- 
tions in  rates  of  pay. 

(1)     SEX  AND  AGE. 

The  following  table  shows  the  age  and  sex  of  all  home  workers  on 
Celluloid  Goods. 

TABLE  54.  —  Sex  and  Age  of  Home  Workers  on  Celluloid  Goods. 


MALES 

FEMALES 

BOTH  SEXES 

AGE  GROUPS. 

Number 

Percent- 
ages 

Number 

Percent- 
ages 

Number 

Percent- 
ages 

All  Ages. 

6 

100.0 

90 

100.0 

96 

100.0 

Under  five  years,        .                 . 
Five  years  and  under  10,            .. 

2 

33.3 

11 

12.2 

13 

13.5 

10  years  and  under  14,                . 

3 

50.0 

8 

8  9 

11 

11.5 

14  years  and  under  16,                 . 

5 

56 

5 

52 

16  years  and  under  18,                 . 
18  years  and  under  21,                 . 

: 

: 

3 

6 

3  3 
6  7 

3 
6 

3.1 
6.3 

21  years  and  under  25,                 . 

_ 

_ 

10 

11  1 

10 

10.4 

25  years  and  under  30,                . 

_ 

_ 

2 

2  2 

2 

2.1 

30  years  and  under  35,                 . 

i 

16.7 

11 

12.2 

12 

12  5 

35  years  and  under  40,                .        . 

8 
12 

8.9 
13.4 

8 
12 

8.3 
12.5 

45  years  and  under  50,                . 

_ 

_ 

2 

2.2 

2 

2.1 

50  years  and  under  55,                . 

_ 

_ 

3 

3  3 

3 

3.1 

55  years  and  under  60,                . 

_ 

_ 

3 

3  3 

3 

3.1 

60  years  and  over,       .                 . 

— 

— 

6 

6.7 

6 

6.3 

The  prominence  of  two  classes  of  workers  is  shown  by  this  table: 
Children  between  the  ages  of  five  and  14  years,  whose  nimble  fingers  make 
quick  work  of  running  ribbon  in  fans  and  linking  chains,  and  women  of 
the  age-group  to  which  mothers  of  young  children  belong. 


124 


HOME    WORK   IN    MASSACHUSETTS 


(2)     SCHOOL  ATTENDANCE. 

After  14  years  of  age,  children  drop  out  of  the  home  work  ranks  to  go 
into  the  factories.  A  questionnaire  sent  to  a  high  school  in  a  celluloid 
community  showed  only  one  home  worker  among  the  pupils  although  all 
had  some  gainful  occupation,  often  factory  work,  in  which  they  were  en- 
gaged after  school  hours  and  on  Saturdays.  That  home  work  does  not 
interfere  with  the  school  attendance  is  evident  from  the  following  table. 

TABLE  55.  —  School  Attendance  of  Home  Workers  on  Celluloid  Goods:  By  Age  and  Sex. 


NUMBER  OF 

NUMBER  OF 

NUMBER  OF 

MALES  — 

FEMALES  — 

BOTH  SEXES  — 

AGE  GROUPS. 

In 

Not  in 

In 

Not  in 

In 

Not  in 

School 

School 

School 

School 

School 

School 

Under  18  Years. 

5 

_ 

19 

8 

24 

8 

Five  years  and  under  10  

2 

i. 

9 

2 

11 

2 

10  years  and  under  14,        
14  years  and  under  16,        

3 

~ 

8 
1 

4 

11 
1 

4 

16  years  and  under  18,        

— 

*" 

1 

2 

1 

2 

(3)     EABNINGS  AND  INCOMES. 
(a)     Annual  Earnings  from  Home  Work. 

The  supplementary  character  of  the  incomes  from  home  work  is  clearly 
indicated  by  the  fact  that  the  majority  of  the  workers  in  this  industry  16 
years  of  age  and  over  were  married  women  with  adult  male  wage-earners 
in  their  families,  and  emphasized  by  a  comparison  of  the  small  amount  of 
annual  earnings  from  home  work,  which  were  often  less  than  $25  and 
seldom  more  than  $100,  with  the  total  family  incomes,  which  were  oftener 
over  $1,000  than  under  $500,  as  shown  in  Tables  56,  57,  and  58. 

TABLE  56.  —  Number  of  Families  of  Home  Workers  on  Celluloid  Goods  Earning  each 

Classified  Amount  a  Year. 


NUMBER  OF  WORKERS 
IN  FAMILIES. 

Total 
Num- 
ber of 
Fam- 
ilies 

Num- 
ber Re- 
port- 
ing 
Earn- 
ings 

NUMBER  OF  FAMILIES  EARNING  A  YEAR  — 

Less 
than 
$25 

$25 
to 
$49.99 

$50 
to 

$99.99 

$100 
to 
$149.99 

$150 
to 
$199.99 

$200 
to 
$249.99 

$250 
to 
$299.99 

$300 
and 
over 

All  Families. 

One  worker, 
Two  workers,    . 
Three  workers, 
Four  workers,  . 
Six  workers. 

58 

36 
13 
4 
4 

57 

36 
12 
4 
4 
1 

24 

18 
3 
2 

17 

9 
7 

1 

t 

4 

1 

1 
3 

8 

2 

1 

8 

2 

1 

1 

- 

- 

Families  of  Home  Workers  Employed  for  Nine  Months  or  Over. 


All  Families. 

_ 

11 

_ 

8 

2 

2 

3 

1 

_ 

_ 

One  worker. 

_ 

9 

— 

2 

2 

2 

2 

1 

_ 

_ 

Two  workers, 

_ 

1 

_ 

_ 

_ 

1 

_ 

_ 

_ 

Three  workers, 

- 

1 

— 

1 

— 

• 

— 

— 

~ 

REPORT  ON  CELLULOID  GOODS 


125 


TABLE  57.  —  Percentage  of  Families  of  Home  Workers  on  Celluloid  Goods  Earning  less 

than  Specified  Amount  a  Year. 


NUMBER  OF  WORKERS 
IN  FAMILIES. 

Total 
Num- 
ber of 
Fam- 
ilies 

Num- 
ber Re- 
port- 
ing 
Earn- 
ings 

PERCENTAGE  OK  FAMILIES  EARNING  A  YEAR  — 

Less 
than 
$25 

Less 
than 
$50 

Less 
than 
$100 

Less 
than 
$150 

Less 
than 

$200 

Less 
than 
$250 

Less 

than 
$300 

Less 
than 
$350 

All  Families. 

One  worker, 
Two  workers,    . 
Three  workers, 
Four  workers,  . 
Six  workers, 

58 

36 
13 
4 
4 
1 

57 

36 
12 
4 
4 
1 

42.1 

50.0 
25.0 
50.0 
25.0 

71.9 

75  0 
83.3 
75.0 
25.0 

87.7 

86.1 
91.7 
100.0 
100.0 

9S.O 

91.7 
91.7 
100.0 
100.0 
100.0 

98.2 

97.2 
100.0 
100.0 
100.0 
100.0 

100.0 

100.0 
100.0 
100.0 
100.0 
100.0 

100.0 

100.0 
100.0 
100.0 
100.0 
100.0 

100.0 

100.0 
100.0 
100.0 
100.0 
100.0 

Families  of  Home  Workers  Employed  for  Nine  Months  or  Over. 


All  Families. 

_ 

11 

_ 

27.S 

45.5 

63.6 

90.9 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

One  worker, 

_ 

9 

_ 

22.2 

44.4 

66.7 

88.9 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

Two  workers,    . 

_ 

1 

_ 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

Three  workers, 

~ 

1 

— 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

(6)     Incomes  from  All  Sources. 

The  following  table  shows  the  number  of  families  with  annual  in- 
comes, exclusive  of  home  work,  of  specified  amounts  classified  by  the 
annual  earnings  from  home  work. 

TABLE  58.  —  Annual  Earnings  of  Families  from  Home  Work  on  Celluloid  Goods  and 

Incomes  from  Other  Sources. 


NUMBER  HAVING  ANNUAL  INCOME  EXCLUSIVE  OF 

Total 

HOME  WORK  OF  — 

ANNUAL  EARNINGS  PROM 
HOME  WORK. 

Number 
of 
Families 

$250 
and 
under 
$500 

$500 
and 
under 
$750 

$750 
and 
under 
$1,000 

$1,000 
and 
under 
$1,250 

$1,250 
and 
Over 

Incomes 
not  re- 
ported 

All  Families. 

58 

4 

14 

14 

3 

12 

11 

Under  $25,  ...                . 

21 

3 

7 

5 

2 

4 

3 

$25  and  under   $50, 

17 

_ 

4 

2 

1 

4 

6 

$50  and  under  $100, 

9 

1 

2 

3 

2 

1 

$100  and  under  $150, 

3 

1 

_ 

1 

1 

$150  and  under  $200, 

3 

_ 

1 

_ 

1 

$200  and  under  $250, 

1 

_ 

1 

_ 

_ 

Earnings  not  reported, 

1 

~ 

~ 

1 

— 

— 

— 

These  incomes,  for  families  living  in  a  town  of  less  than  20,000  in- 
habitants where  the  cost  of  living  is  comparatively  low,  and  only  one  of 
whom  paid  as  much  as  $250  for  rent,  indicate  that  there  was,  except  in 
a  few  cases,  no  real  necessity  for  home  work. 

(4)     WORKING  CONDITIONS. 

Although  the  prevailing  hourly  earnings  of  10  cents  would  yield  to  a 
steady  worker  enough  to  sustain  life,  non-employment,  due  to  the  seasonal 
character  of  the  industry  and  its  dependence  upon  a  fluctuating  demand 


126  HOME   WORK   IN   MASSACHUSETTS 

for  novelties  on  which  home  work  is  done,  makes  it  impossible  for  any 
worker  to  make  a  living  from  this  work.  Of  the  58  families  of  home 
workers  in  this  industry  investigated,  36  started  home  work  after  the 
beginning  of  the  year  and  21  were  found  upon  examination  of  the  pay- 
rolls to  have  been  without  work  during  some  part  of  the  year,  —  five, 
less  than  three  months;  seven,  three  months  and  less  than  six  months; 
seven,  six  months  and  less  than  nine;  two,  nine  months  and  less  than  12. 
Twenty  of  these  workers  were  not  employed  because  of  dull  season. 

The  income  from  home  work  was  not  materially  cut  down  by  charges. 
All  workers  called  for  their  work,  which  is  light  enough  to  be  carried 
easily,  and  only  two  paid  car  fare.  The  equipment  charge  paid  by  a  few 
was  usually  for  a  60-cent  clip  with  which  to  cut  rings  for  chains.  The 
greater  number  paid  no  charges. 

Almost  one-third  of  the  women  workers  16  years  of  age  and  over  had 
other  gainful  occupations  and  did  home  work  only  at  odd  moments.  About 
one-third  of  the  total  number  of  home  workers  worked  for  more  than  one 
manufacturer.  No  experience  is  needed  to  prepare  for  most  of  the  home 
work  on  Celluloid  Goods. 

Living  arrangements  were  not  characterized  by  over-crowding;  the 
average  number  of  persons  to  a  room  was  1.4.  More  than  one-fourth  of  the 
workers  found  the  kitchen  the  most  convenient  place  for  work  which  they 
picked  up  at  odd  moments,  and  the  kitchen  table  a  suitable  place  for  clamp- 
ing the  weaving  forms.  This  room  was  found  in  most  instances  to  be  large 
and  well  ventilated.  Many  workers  carried  their  work  from  room  to 
room  or  took  it  to  the  porch  in  warm  weather. 

F.    Summary. 

Home  workers  on  Celluloid  Goods  were  largely  married  women,  and 
children  under  14  years  of  age,  of  American  or  French-Canadian  birth; 
apparently,  they  did  not  work  from  necessity  and  their  earnings  were 
small  additions  to  the  family  income;  the  hourly  rate  was  comparatively 
high,  but  unemployment  cut  down  the  annual  earnings  to  a  low  figure; 
charges  were  negligible;  little  training  was  required;  and  the  living  and 
working  conditions  were  satisfactory. 


REPORT  ON  SPORTING  GOODS  127 

5.  SPORTING  GOODS 

BY  CAROLINE  E.   WILSON 

A.    Introductory. 

Eighteen  firms  in  Massachusetts  are  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of 
Sporting  Goods.  Twelve  of  these,  including  two  Boston  firms,  are  in  the 
eastern  part  of  the  State.  Three  are  in  Springfield,  and  three  are  in 
neighboring  towns  in  the  Connecticut  Valley.  Eight  of  the  factories  re- 
ported that  home  work  was  given  out  by  them.  The  products  of  these 
establishments  included  balls  of  various  kinds,  running  pants,  and  fishing 
and  hunting  goods.  The  varieties  lending  themselves  most  easily  to  home 
work  are  baseballs,  squash  balls,  tennis  balls,  and  running  pants.  Of  the 
four  establishments  studied,  two  gave  out  work  on  baseballs,  one  on  tennis 
balls  and  squash  balls,  and  one  on  running  pants. 

B.    Processes  and  Rates  of  Pay. 

The  work  on  baseballs  consists  in  stitching  on  the  outside  covers  by 
hand.  The  cover,  cut  from  hide,  or,  in  the  case  of  the  cheaper  balls,  from 
prepared  cloth,  is  laid  over  the  ball  and  held  in  place  by  tacks  or  clamps 
while  the  edges  are  pulled  together  with  pliers  and  stitched.  The  stretch- 
ing of  the  covers  of  the  more  expensive  balls  is  an  operation  requiring  a 
considerable  amount  of  strength,  and,  as  the  cover  must  be  wet,  the  hands  of 
the  worker  often  become  swollen  and  stiff  from  their  cramped  position. 
Tennis  balls  are  sent  to  the  home  with  the  covers  already  glued  on;  the 
seams  are  stitched  back  and  forth  by  the  worker  leaving  the  stitches  almost 
invisible.  The  material  sent  to  the  homes  for  the  making  of  squash  balls 
consists  of  rubber  balls  and  knitted  covers  to  be  put  over  them.  The 
worker  rips  open  the  cover,  inserts  the  rubber  ball,  and  catches  up  the 
edges  with  the  same  thread  which  was  ripped  out.  Running  pants  are 
sent  to  the  worker  for  the  machine  sewing  only ;  the  process  is  simple,  the 
work  resembling  that  on  plain  underwear. 

The  home  work  on  balls  is  a  hand-finishing  process,  the  main  part 
of  the  operation  being  done  at  the  factory.  The  home  work  on  running 
pants,  however,  is  the  principal  process  in  their  manufacture.  Since  the 
contractor  does  the  buttonholing  and  finishing,  the  only  part  of  the  opera- 
tion actually  performed  at  the  factory  is  cutting  out  the  garments  from 
the  whole  cloth. 


128  HOME   WORK   IN   MASSACHUSETTS 

Rates  of  Pay. 

Baseballs, $0.08  to  $0.50  a  dozen. 

Squash  balls, 30  a  dozen. 

Tennis  balls, 15  a  dozen. 

Running  pants, 30  a  dozen. 

C.    The  Labor  Supply. 

The  supply  of  labor  for  home  work  on  balls  seems  to  be  highly  elastic. 
The  employers  reported  that  an  advertisement  for  extra  home  workers 
during  the  busy  season  usually  brings  in  more  workers  than  they  can  use. 
The  workers  in  one  town  reported  an  instance  in  which  their  demand  for 
a  higher  rate  —  five  cents  more  a  dozen  —  caused  the  manufacturer  to 
extend  the  work  into  neighboring  towns,  where  so  many  persons  were 
found  willing  to  accept  the  low  rate  that  the  workers  were  obliged  to 
withdraw  their  demand  or  lose  the  work.  The  supply  of  labor  for  run- 
ning pants  was  recruited  from  the  contractor's  immediate  neighborhood. 

Owing  to  the  nature  of  the  sports  concerned,  the  demand  for  tennis 
and  baseballs  is  seasonal.  Baseballs  are  made  mainly  in  the  Winter  to 
anticipate  the  summer  demand.  The  tennis  balls  soon  lose  their  elasticity 
and  must  be  made  for  immediate  use;  consequently  the  busy  season  in 
their  manufacture  is  Spring  and  early  Summer.  A  limited  demand  for 
tennis  balls  for  winter  use  comes  from  the  South,  and  to  meet  this  a  small 
number  of  balls  is  made  in  the  otherwise  dull  season.  The  demand  for 
running  pants  is  comparatively  steady. 

The  baseball  workers  go  directly  to  the  factory  for  their  materials. 
The  tennis  balls  are  delivered  to  the  workers  directly  from  the  factory  by 
wagon.  The  materials  for  the  running  pants  come  indirectly  to  the 
worker  through  a  contractor  who  gets  them  from  the  factory  and  dis- 
tributes them  to  the  workers  from  her  home. 

D.    Method  of  Distribution. 

From  the  time  when  the  running  pants  are  cut  from  the  whole  cloth 
until  they  reach  the  consumer,  they  are  handled  at  least  six  times  in  con- 
nection with  the  different  processes. 

1.  The  garments  are  cut  out  at  the  factory  and  sent  to  the  contractor. 

2.  The  contractor  does  the  buttonholing  and  distributes  the  goods  to  the  home 
workers. 

3.  The  machine  stitching  is  done  by  the  home  worker  who  receives  30  cents  a 
dozen  pairs. 

4.  The  contractor  finishes  the  articles,  that  is,  sews  on  the  buttons  and  tapes, 


REPORT  ON  SPORTING  GOODS 


129 


and  returns  them  to  the  factory,  receiving  50  cents  a  dozen  pairs  for  the  finished 
garments. 

5.  The  product  is  forwarded  to  the  retail  dealers  from  the  factory. 

6.  The  running  pants  are  sold  at  the  retail  shops  for  50  cents  a  pair. 

E.    The  Worker. 

Home  work  on  Sporting  Goods  offers  very  little  opportunity  for  the 
labor  of  young  children,  for  the  sewing  on  baseballs  requires  some  degree 
of  skill  and  often  a  considerable  amount  of  strength. 

(1)     SEX  AND  AGE. 

The  following  table  shows  the  number  and  percentages  of  home  work- 
ers of  each  sex  in  specified  age  groups. 

TABLE  59.  —  Sex  and  Age  of  Home  Workers  on  Sporting  Goods. 


AGE  GROUPS. 

MALES 

FEMALES 

BOTH  SEXES 

Number 

Percent- 
ages1 

Number 

Percent- 
ages1 

Number 

Percent- 
ages1 

All  Ages. 

Under  five  years, 
Five  years  and  under  10,    . 

14 
2 

1 
2 

100.0 
15.4 

7?7 
15.4 
7.7 
7.7 

7?7 
7.7 
30.7 

159 

1 
2 
1 

1 
2 
2 
13 
21 
28 
20 
9 
16 
15 
24 
4 

100.0 

0.6 
1.3 
0.6 
0.6 
1.3 
1.3 
8.4 
13.6 
18.1 
12.9 
5.8 
10.3 
9.7 
15.5 

173 

1 
4 
1 
1 
2 
2 
14 
23 
29 
21 
9 
17 
16 
28 
5 

100.0 

0.6 
2.4 
0.6 
0.6 
1.2 
1.2 
8.3 
13.7 
172 
12.5 
5.4 
10.1 
9.5 
16.7 

14  years  and  under  16, 
16  years  and  under  18, 
18  years  and  under  21, 

25  years  and  under  30, 

35  years  and  under  40, 
40  years  and  under  45, 
45  years  and  under  50, 

55  years  and  under  60, 
60  years  and  over. 
Age  not  reported, 

1  The  percentages  in  this  table  are  calculated  on  the  basis  of  the  number  reporting. 

The  majority  of  the  workers  were  adults,  mostly  women,  between  the 
ages  of  25  and  45.  Only  five  children  under  14  seemed  to  have  any  share 
in  the  work.  Old  people  in  the  families  of  baseball  workers  were  some- 
times kept  busy  threading  needles,  clipping  ends  of  thread,  and  packing 
the  balls.  Of  173  persons  at  work  on  Sporting  Goods,  only  14  were  males. 
Some  of  these  were  old  men  who  had  given  up  active  outside  work,  and 
a  few  were  disabled  or  temporarily  out  of  employment.  A  woman  who 
had  a  good  output  of  baseballs  said  that  she  could  not  earn  much  if  it 
were  not  for  her  "  two  fathers  ",  her  own  and  her  husband's  father,  both 
over  70,  who  lived  with  her  and  did  nearly  all  of  the  rougher  work  on  her 
product.  Very  few  women  were  without  a  male  wage-earner  in  the  family. 


130 


HOME   WORK   IN   MASSACHUSETTS 


Usually  the  husband  turns  in  the  whole  of  his  weekly  wage  toward  the 
family  expenses.  Where  the  husband  is  dead,  sons  and  daughters  take  up 
the  responsibility  of  the  family  expenses.  As  the  children's  wages  are 
raised  from  time  to  time  the  necessity  for  the  mother's  carrying  on  home 
work  disappears. 

(2)     EARNINGS  AND  INCOMES. 
(a)     Annual  Earnings  from  Home  Work. 

The  following  tables  show  the  number  earning  specified  amounts  and 
the  percentage  earning  less  than  specified  amounts. 

TABLE  60.  —  Number  of  Families  of  Home  Workers  on  Sporting  Goods  Earning  each 

Classified  Amount  a  Year. 


NUMBER  OF  WORKERS 
IN  FAMILIES. 

Total 
Num- 
ber of 
Fam- 
ilies 

Num- 
ber re- 
port- 
ing 
Earn- 
ings 

NUMBER  OF  FAMILIES  EARNING  A  YEAR  — 

Less 
than 
$25 

$25 
to 

$49.99 

$50 
to 
$99.99 

$100 
to 
$149.99 

$150 
to 
$199.99 

$200 
to 
$249.99 

$250 
to 
$299.99 

$300 
and 
over 

All  Families. 

137 

133 

19 

30 

64 

13 

4 

_ 

2 

1 

One  worker, 

105 

102 

15 

25 

48 

12 

1 

1 

Two  workers,    . 

29 

28 

4 

4 

15 

3 

_ 

1 

I 

Three  workers,  . 

2 

2 

1 

1 

_ 

Four  workers,  . 

1 

1 

- 

1 

- 

- 

- 

- 

Families  of  Home  Workers  Employed  for  Nine  Months  or  Over. 


All  Families. 

_ 

107 

7 

21 

59 

13 

4 

_ 

2 

1 

One  worker, 

_ 

81 

7 

17 

43 

12 

1 

_ 

1 

Two  workers,    . 

_ 

23 

3 

15 

3 

_ 

1 

j 

Three  workers,  . 

_ 

2 

_ 

1 

1 

_ 

_ 

Four  workers,  . 

~ 

1 

*• 

— 

1 

— 

- 

- 

- 

TABLE  61.  — Percentage  of  Families  of  Home  Workers  on  Sporting  Goods  Earning  less 

than  Specified  Amount  a  Year. 


rp    iftl 

Num- 

PERCENTAGE OF  FAMILIES  EARNING  A  YEAR  — 

NUMBER  OF  WORKERS 
IN  FAMILIES. 

Num- 
ber of 

ber  re- 
port- 
ing 

Leas 

Less 

Leas 

Leas 

Less 

Less 

Less 

Less 

Earn- 

than 

than 

than 

than 

than 

than 

than 

than 

uiea 

ings 

$25 

$50 

$100 

$150 

$200 

$250 

$300 

$350 

All  Families. 

137 

133 

14.3 

36.8 

85.0 

94.7 

97.7 

97.7 

99.2 

99.2 

One  worker, 

105 

102 

14.7 

39.2 

86.3 

98  0 

99.0 

99.0 

100.0 

100.0 

Two  workers,    . 

29 

28 

14.3 

28.6 

82.1 

82  1 

92.9 

92.9 

9C.4 

96.4 

Three  workers,  . 

2 

2 

_ 

50.0 

50.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100  0 

100.0 

Four  workers,  . 

1 

1 

- 

~ 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100  0 

100.0 

Families  of  Home  Workers  Employed  for  Nine  Months  or  Over. 


All  Families. 

_ 

107 

6.5 

26.2 

81.3 

93.5 

97.2 

97.2 

99.1 

99.1 

One  worker, 

_ 

81 

8.6 

29.6 

82.7 

97.5 

98.8 

98.8 

100.0 

100.0 

Two  workers,  . 

_ 

23 

13.0 

78.3 

78.3 

91.3 

91  3 

95.7 

95.7 

Three  workers,  . 

_ 

2 

_ 

50.0 

50  0 

100  0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

Four  workers,  . 

~ 

~ 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

REPORT  ON  SPORTING  GOODS 


131 


All  but  seven  of  the  133  families  for  whom  complete  pay-rolls  for  the 
year  were  available,  earned  less  than  $150.  In  general,  the  earnings  cor- 
responded to  those  in  other  industries,  except  that  they  did  not  run  as  high 
as  in  Wearing  Apparel.  In  Sporting  Goods  only  two  individual  home 
workers  earned  more  than  $150  in  the  course  of  the  year,  one  of  whom 
made  between  $150  and  $200,  and  one  between  $250  and  $300.  The 
aggregate  earnings  of  groups  of  workers  ranged  only  slightly  higher; 
three  groups  of  two  workers  each  earned  $150  and  less  than  $200;  two 
groups  earned  over  $200,  one  between  $250  and  $300,  and  one  between 
$350  and  $400. 

(&)     Incomes  from  All  Sources. 

The  following  table  exhibits  the  incomes  from  sources  exclusive  of 
home  work. 

TABLE  62.  — Annual  Earnings  of  Families  from  Home  Work  on  Sporting  Goods  and 

Incomes  from  Other  Sources. 


NUMBER  HAVING  ANNUAL  EARNINGS  EXCLUSIVE  OF 

Total 

HOME  WORK  OF  — 

De- 

__  j 

ANNUAL  EARNINGS 
FROM  HOME  WORK. 

Num- 
ber of 
Fam- 
ilies 

$50 
and 
under 
$250 

$250 
and 
under 
$500 

$500 
and 
under 
$750 

$750 
and 
under 
$1,000 

$1,000 
and 
under 
$1,250 

$1,250 
and 
Over 

In- 
come 
not 
Stated 

pend- 
ent on 
Home 
Work 
Only 

All  Families. 

1ST 

2 

9 

32 

32 

24 

16 

21 

1 

Under  $25,     . 

19 

— 

_ 

6 

4 

2 

3 

4 

„ 

$25  and  under    $50, 

30 

_ 

3 

7 

6 

8 

5 

• 

$50  and  under  $100, 

64 

2 

3 

11 

19 

11 

11 

7 

_ 

$100  and  under  $150, 

13 

1 

5 

2 

2 

3 

_ 

$150  and  under  $200, 

4 

_ 

1 

2 

_ 

1 

_ 

$200  and  under  $250, 

_ 

_ 

_ 

_ 

_ 

_ 

_ 

_ 

$250  and  under  $300, 

2 

_ 

_ 

_ 

_ 

_ 

1 

_ 

1 

$350  and  under  $400, 

1 

_ 

_ 

_ 

_ 

1 

_ 

_ 

_ 

Earnings  not  reported, 

4 

— 

1 

1 

1 

— 

1 

— 

Although  the  earnings  of  Sporting  Goods  workers  ranged  lower  than 
in  Wearing  Apparel,  the  families  as  a  rule  had  substantial  incomes  from 
other  sources.  Over  three-fifths  (62.6  per  cent)  of  the  115  families  for 
whom  information  was  available  had  an  annual  income,  exclusive  of  home 
work,  of  $750  or  over,  and  40  of  those,  or  more  than  one-third  (34.8  per 
cent)  had  an  annual  income  of  more  than  $1,000.  In  a  few  cases  ex- 
tremely low  incomes  were  reported. 

As  is  to  be  expected  from  the  low  level  of  annual  earnings,  the  hourly 
rates  were  grouped  about  an  extremely  low  figure,  68.5  per  cent  earning 
eight  cents  an  hour  or  less. 

(3)       WOKKLNG    CCKFTDITIONS. 

Owing  to  the  seasonal  nature  of  their  occupation,  a  considerable  num- 
ber of  workers  of  all  grades  of  earning  capacity  were  non-employed  in  the 


132  HOME   WORK   IN   MASSACHUSETTS 

course  of  the  year.  The  period  of  non-employment  lasted  usually  from  one 
to  six  months,  quite  long  enough  to  seriously  handicap  any  workers  who 
might  be  dependent  on  home  work  earnings  for  a  part  of  their  support. 
A  number  of  workers  were  idle  for  a  time  on  account  of  household  duties 
or  because  they  had  tired  of  the  work,  and  a  still  smaller  number  were 
obliged  to  give  it  up  on  account  of  illness ;  but  such  causes  affected  only  a 
small  number  of  workers  as  compared  with  the  seasonal  fluctuations  of 
the  trade  and  their  far-reaching  effect. 

The  needles,  wax,  and  tweezers  used  in  connection  with  these  processes 
formed  a  varying  item  of  expense  for  the  worker,  in  addition  to  the  five 
cents  a  week  charged  as  rent  for  the  clamps  used  in  stitching  balls.  About 
40  per  cent  of  the  workers  called  at  the  factory  or  at  the  contractor's  shop 
for  their  materials,  and  the  rest  had  them  delivered.  If  they  were  obliged 
to  call  for  the  goods,  car  fare  would  make  an  additional  item  of  expense 
for  those  living  at  a  distance.  The  margin  of  profit  is  so  small  that  one 
contractor,  according  to  a  statement  which  she  made  to  the  investigator, 
refused  to  give  work  to  people  who  must  necessarily  pay  car  fare  in  order 
to  get  their  materials. 

Very  few  workers  reported  that  they  had  changed  employers  during 
the  year.  The  establishments  making  Sporting  Goods  were  few  in  num- 
ber, so  that  a  worker  in  a  small  city  or  town  would  find  it  hard  to  get  work 
in  her  own  trade  except  under  one  manufacturer ;  and,  although  the  various 
home  processes  connected  with  other  industries  could  easily  be  learned,  the 
workers  rarely  changed  from  one  occupation  to  another,  even  in  the  dull 
seasons  of  their  own  industry. 

Over  one-half  of  the  persons  carrying  on  home  processes  on  Sporting 
Goods  were  found  at  work  in  their  kitchens,,  alternating  sewing  on  balls 
or  running  pants  with  various  household  duties.  In  a  few  cases  where 
the  families  lived  in  crowded  quarters,  bedrooms  were  used  for  work- 
places. Only  three  regular  workrooms  were  found.  In  general,  however, 
the  rooms  were  clean  and  well-kept,  and  sometimes  gave  evidence  of  un- 
usually high  standards  of  housekeeping.  Occasionally,  in  the  tenement 
districts  of  the  larger  cities  conditions  were  found  which  seemed  in  urgent 
need  of  regulation.  The  conditions  in  those  homes  where  cleanliness  was 
little  regarded  and  where  disease  might  prevail  without  the  knowledge  of 
those  who  give  out  the  work  show,  conclusively,  the  necessity  of  such 
regulations  as  would  afford  protection  both  to  the  worker  and  the  public. 


REPORT   ON   OTHER   INDUSTRIES  133 


6.    OTHER  INDUSTRIES 

BY  MARGARET  S.  DISMORR 

A.    Introductory. 

Among  the  other  industries  in  which  home  work  was  found  to  a  less 
extent  than  in  the  five  principal  ones  considered,  those  giving  out  work 
on  brushes  and  silk  materials  employed  the  largest  numbers  of  outside 
workers.  Home  workers  on  brushes  and  silk  goods  were  found  chiefly  in 
the  rural  parts  of  Massachusetts.  The  work  was  usually  carried  on  in  the 
kitchen,  where  conditions  as  to  hygiene  and  cleanliness  were  frequently 
unsatisfactory.  Silk  was  picked  on  the  floor  and  tooth  brush  bristles  were 
picked  on  the  floor  or  table,  over  a  piece  of  black  paper  or  cardboard. 
Every  tooth  brush,  however,  is  sterilized  at  the  factory  when  finished. 

B.    Brushes. 

Three  manufacturers  of  brushes,  located  in  Boston,  Attleborough,  and 
Northampton,  reported  home  work.  The  products  are  hair  brushes  and 
tooth  brushes.  The  chief  processes  performed  in  homes  are  "  drawing  " 
brushes  and  picking  bristles.  Both  hair  and  tooth  brushes  can  be  hand 
drawn,  but  home  work  is  most  usual  on  tooth  brushes.  All  tooth  brushes 
with  cement  stripes  at  the  back  are  hand  drawn,  that  is,  the  bunches  of 
bristles  are  wired  and  "  drawn  "  through  the  holes  in  the  head  by  hand. 
This  is  done  with  the  help  of  a  machine  which  holds  the  bristles,  brush, 
and  spool  of  wire  in  position  and  which,  by  the  pressure  of  the  worker's 
foot  on  a  treadle,  releases  the  right  quantity  of  bristles  to  fill  one  hole. 
The  worker  threads  the  wire  through  a  hole,  loops  it  round  the  bunch  of 
bristles,  and  then  draws  the  wire  tightly  back  through  the  hole.  .  This 
bends  the  bristles  double  and  fixes  them  in  the  hole.  When  the  brush  has 
been  drawn,  the  wired  grooves  at  the  back  are  filled  with  cement  at  the 
factory.  Most  tooth  brushes  have  about  40  holes  and  can  be  drawn  in  a 
few  minutes.  The  payment  to  home  workers  for  this  work  varies;  a 
specimen  rate  is  $1.32  for  drawing  a  gross  of  brushes.  Picking  bristles, 
or  separating  black  from  white  bristles  in  order  that  tooth  brushes  may  be 
all  of  one  shade,  is  less  skilled  work  and  is  often  done  by  children.  The 
work  is  trying  to  the  eyes,  especially  when  done  at  night.  The  rate  of 
payment  is  one  dollar  a  pound  and  the  time  required  for  a  pound  is  usually 
about  20  hours.  The  variable  quality  of  the  bristles  makes  the  process 
longer  in  some  cases  and  shorter  in  others.  When  the  picking  is  easy  a 
worker  can  make  from  10  to  20  cents  an  hour. 


134  HOME   WORK   IN   MASSACHUSETTS 

All  other  work  on  tooth  brushes  is  done  in  the  factory  and  even  the 
two  processes  above  mentioned  are  occasionally  performed  there.  Bristles 
can  be  put  in  brushes  by  power  machines  in  the  factory  instead  of  being 
drawn;  in  fact,  the  stapling  machine  is  actually  beginning  to  displace 
home  workers  in  this  process.  All  of  the  home  workers  on  brushes  call 
for  their  work  and  return  it  to  the  factory  at  their  own  expense.  There 
are  no  contractors  in  this  industry. 

C.    Silk  Goods. 

Reports  as  to  home  work  were  received  from  11  establishments  pro- 
ducing silk  and  silk  goods.  Two  of  them  gave  out  home  work.  In  addi- 
tion, a  box  factory  reported  home  work  on  darning  silk  samples.  The 
work  done  by  home  workers  includes  picking  silk,  reeling  and  labeling 
embroidery  silk,  mounting  "  silk  cultures  "  for  advertisement,  and  wind- 
ing specimens  of  darning  silk  to  be  sold  with  silk  hose.  The  largest  num- 
ber of  home  workers  is  employed  at  picking  silk,  that  is,  removing  cotton 
threads  from  raw  and  spun  silk  waste.  The  50-pound  sacks  of  waste  are 
called  for  and  returned  by  the  workers  or  their  children,  and  much  of  the 
work,  which  is  entirely  unskilled,  is  done  by  children.  The  rate  of  pay 
is  $3  a  sack.  Most  of  the  families  take  about  a  week  to  pick  a  sack ;  but 
their  hours  of  labor  are  irregular,  and  as  this  work  is  never  done  in  the 
factory,  it  would  be  difficult  to  estimate  how  much  could  be  earned  in  a 
week  by  a  steady  worker. 


APPENDICES 


APPENDIX    A 


SPECIAL  REPORTS  ON  HOME  WORK 

The  question  of  home  work  has  had  an  increasing  amount  of  attention 
in  this  country  since  the  early  nineties.  The  Report  of  the  Select  Com- 
mittee of  the  British  House  of  Lords,  published  in  1890,  aroused  great 
interest  in  the  United  States  and  stimulated  inquiries  into  the  extent  to 
which  the  sweating  system  prevailed  and  the  evils  which  it  involved.  The 
term  "  sweating  system  "  was  used  to  indicate  both  home  work  as  it  has 
been  defined  in  this  report  and  work  in  small  shops  under  contractors;  it 
describes  the  excessively  long  hours  and  high  rate  of  speed  which  existed 
almost  universally  in  the  small  shops  and  home  workrooms.  At  that  time 
the  system  was  supposed  to  be  confined  almost  wholly  to  making  ready- 
made  clothing. 

The  seventh  biennial  report  of  the  Illinois  Bureau  of  Labor  Statistics, 
1892,  contains  the  results  of  an  extensive  investigation  of  the  sweating 
system  in  Chicago.  The  canvass  of  the  bureau  included  666  establish- 
ments and  10,933  employees,  of  whom  one-fourth  were  men  and  boys. 
There  were  1,836  persons  reported  as  home  finishers.  The  report  gives  a 
synopsis  of  the  piece-rates  for  the  various  kinds  of  work,  but  presents  no 
classified  wages.  Six  possible  remedial  measures  were  enumerated  as 
follows,  but  no  recommendations  were  made: 

1.  The  licensing  of  contractors. 

2.  The  prohibition  of  the  manufacture  of  tenement-made  articles. 

3.  The  regulation  of  the  age  at  which  children  may  work,  and  the 
hours  of  labor  for  women  and  children. 

4.  The  placing  of  tags  on  all  articles  made  by  contractors. 

5.  The  equipment  of  all  shops  with  mechanical  power  for  running 
machines. 

6.  The  provision  of  separate  apartments  for  pressers. 

In  1893  the  Committee  on  Manufactures  of  the  United  States  House 
of  Representatives  made  an  investigation  into  the  "  effect  of  the  so-called 
'  sweating  system  '  of  tenement-house  labor  upon  manufactures  of  clothing 
and  other  manufactures  'V  The  Committee  found  that  approximately 

i  House  Report  No.  2309,  52nd  Congress,  2nd  Session. 


138  HOME   WORK   IN   MASSACHUSETTS 

50  per  cent  of  the  ready-made  clothing  was  made  under  sweat-shop  con- 
ditions, and  that  the  wages  of  the  tenement  workers  were  fully  25  per 
cent  less  than  those  paid  in  large  shops  for  the  same  work.  The  Com- 
mittee recommended  Federal  legislation  requiring  the  adoption  of  a  tag 
by  which  any  article  could  be  traced  directly  to  the  spot  where  it  or  any 
part  of  it  was  made.  Licensing,  registry,  and  inspection  of  workrooms 
were  left  to  State  and  municipal  authority. 

The  results  of  an  investigation  of  the  sweating  system  in  Philadelphia 
are  presented  in  the  report  of  the  Pennsylvania  Bureau  of  Industrial 
Statistics  for  the  same  year.  The  adoption  of  a  tag  to  be  affixed  to  all 
tenement-made  goods  was  recommended. 

In  1896  a  report  by  Henry  White,  secretary  of  the  United  Garment 
Workers  of  America,  was  published  by  the  Federal  Department  of  Labor.1 
The  report  summarized  the  sweat-shop  legislation  of  the  various  States 
up  to  that  time  and  indicated  a  belief  that  the  evils  of  the  system  were 
gradually  being  corrected. 

Three  investigations  of  sweating  in  the  garment-making  trades  in  Wis- 
consin are  summarized  in  the  report  of  the  Wisconsin  Bureau  of  Labor 
Statistics  in  1901-1902.  The  first  two  covered  79  shops  employing  1,177 
persons.  Ninety-two  per  cent  of  the  male  workers  were  found  to  receive 
seven  dollars  a  week  or  more  and  90  per  cent  of  the  female  workers  six 
dollars  a  week  or  less.  The  third  investigation  had  to  do  with  the  inspec- 
tion of  shops.  A  fourth  investigation  in  the  same  industry  is  summarized 
in  the  report  of  the  Wisconsin  Bureau  of  Labor  Statistics  for  1903-1904. 
The  range  of  wages  was  found  to  be  substantially  the  same  as  in  the  pre- 
vious investigation. 

Since  the  publication  of  these  reports,  interest  has  spread  to  the  other 
branches  of  tenement  industry.  The  Consumers'  League  has  published 
studies  into  the  conditions  of  home  manufacture  in  various  industries. 
A  study  by  Mary  Van  Kleeck  under  the  direction  of  the  Committee  on 
Women's  Work  of  the  Russell  Sage  Foundation,  published  in  1913,  de- 
scribes the  working  conditions  of  an  industry  conspicuous  for  its  relation 
to  home  work  —  artificial  flower  making.2  The  investigation  included 
110  families  of  home  workers,  with  371  members  who  worked  on  flowers. 
Almost  one-half  of  the  workers  (48.7  per  cent)  were  found  to  be  under 
16  years  of  age.  Over  10  per  cent  were  under  eight  years  of  age.  The 
average  weekly  earnings  from  home  work  for  102  families  were  $4.92. 

1  Bulletin  of  the  Department  of  Labor,  No.  4,  May,  1896. 

*  Artificial  Flower  Makers.    By  Mary  Van  Kleeck.    Published  by  The  Survey  Associates.    New  York.    1913. 


SPECIAL   REPORTS   ON   HOME   WORK  139 

The  volume  includes  a  study  of  conditions  of  employment  in  the  artificial 
flower  trade  in  Paris.  The  report  describes  two  possible  remedies  for  the 
evils  of  the  system,  the  establishment  of  minimum  wage  boards  and  the 
prohibition  of  home  work,  but  no  positive  recommendations  are  made. 

The  Immigration  Commission  reported  home  work  in  421  out  of  8,605 
immigrant  households  studied.1  In  the  City  of  Boston  home  work  was 
found  in  49  out  of  1,416  households.  The  principal  occupations  included 
were  tailoring,  dressmaking,  and  sewing. 

"  Men's  Ready-made  Clothing ",  the  second  volume  of  the  Woman 
and  Child  Wage  Earners  series  published  by  the  Federal  Bureau  of  Labor, 
includes  a  section  on  home  work  in  the  clothing  industry.2  The  study  in- 
cluded 1,015  home  workers  in  five  cities  —  Chicago,  Rochester,  New 
York,  Philadelphia,  and  Baltimore.  The  average  weekly  earnings  were 
found  to  be  $3.21.  The  report  emphasizes  the  danger  to  the  consumer  of 
contagion  from  home  finishing. 

A  special  investigation  of  manufacturing  in  tenement  houses  was 
made  for  the  "New  York  State  Factory  Investigating  Commission  by  the 
National  Child  Labor  Committee.  The  Committee  reported  13,268 
licensed  tenements  in  New  York,  each  containing  anywhere  from  three  to 
40  or  50  different  apartments  in  which  the  manufacture  of  41  specified 
articles  may  be  carried  on.  Strong  emphasis  is  laid  upon  the  evils  of 
home  work,  —  the  spreading  of  disease,  the  employment  of  young  chil- 
dren, the  effect  on  school  attendance,  the  low  wages  of  home  workers,  and 
the  cost  of  home  work  to  the  community.  A  more  extensive  investigation 
was  recommended  before  any  radical  legislation  should  be  attempted.  The 
following  comment  is  made  on  the  present  regulation  of  home  work : 

By  home-work  or  tenement-work  is  meant  any  kind  of  manufacturing  done  for 
a  manufacturer,  contractor  or  agent  by  persons  not  working  on  the  premises  or 
under  the  supervision  of  such  a  manufacturer,  contractor  or  agent,  the  wages  and 
rates  of  payment  for  these  workers  being  fixed  by  the  persons  giving  out  the  work. 
In  its  essence  home-work,  as  thus  defined,  is  unlawful,  or  at  least  beyond  control 
by  law.  In  New  York  State  we  have  a  Labor  Code,  certain  sections  of  which  exist 
for  the  express  purpose  of  regulating  conditions  under  which  manufacturing  may 
be  carried  on  in  the  State,  but  by  giving  out  home-work  a  manufacturer  is  literally 
able  to  break  every  law  on  the  statute  books.  His  work  may  be  done  in  unclean, 
unsanitary  surroundings,  it  may  be  performed  by  little  children  or  minors  work- 
ing long  hours  after  5  P.M.,  when  the  law  frees  the  girl  and  boy  workers  in  the 
factories,  or  by  young  girls  working  far  into  the  night.  Home-work  means  un- 
regulated manufacturing,  carried  on  beyond  the  possibility  of  control  as  to  hours 

1  Reports  of  the  Immigration  Commission,  Vol.  26,  p.  94. 

1  Report  on  Condition  of  Woman  and  Child  Wage  Earners  in  the  United  States,  Vol.  2,  pp.  215-318. 


140  HOME   WORK   IN   MASSACHUSETTS 

of  women's  work,  child  labor,  night-work  of  minors,  or  cleanliness  and  sanitation 
of  work-places.  In  its  efforts  to  inspect  the  13,000  licensed  tenements  in  New  York 
city,  the  Department  of  Labor  is  attempting  the  impossible.  From  the  point  of 
view  of  the  community,  the  greatest  objection  to  home-work  is  its  lawlessness.1 

Investigations  have  been  undertaken  from  time  to  time  in  European 
countries.  The  Select  Committee  of  the  House  of  Lords,  appointed  in 
1838  to  investigate  the  sweating  system  in  England,  reported  in  1890  that 
the  evils  of  home  work,  low  wages,  long  hours,  and  unsanitary  conditions, 
"  can  hardly  be  exaggerated  ",2  The  report  continues :  "  The  earnings 
of  the  lowest  class  of  workers  are  barely  sufficient  to  sustain  existence. 
The  hours  of  labor  are  such  as  to  make  the  lives  of  the  workers  periods  of 
almost  ceaseless  toil,  hard  and  unlovely  to  the  last  degree.  The  sanitary 
conditions  under  which  the  work  is  conducted  are  not  only  injurious  to 
the  health  of  the  persons  employed,  but  are  dangerous  to  the  public,  espe- 
cially in  the  case  of  the  trades  concerned  in  making  clothes,  as  infectious 
diseases  are  spread  by  the  sale  of  garments  made  in  rooms  inhabited  by 
persons  suffering  from  smallpox  and  other  diseases."  The  recommenda- 
tions deal  mainly  with  the  advisability  of  additional  regulation  and  inspec- 
tion. The  report  was  followed  at  frequent  intervals  by  minor  reports  by 
public  and  private  agencies.  In  1908  the  House  of  Commons  appointed 
a  Select  Committee  on  Home  Work.  In  its  report  3  the  Committee  depre- 
cates "  the  almost  complete  absence  of  statistics  on  the  subject,"  but  pre- 
sents no  material  with  which  the  want  may  be  supplied.  The  report  con- 
sists almost  wholly  of  the  minutes  of  evidence  from  the  various  witnesses 
heard.  The  remedies  recommended  are:  First,  wages  boards,  to  fix  and 
adjust  minimum  time  and  piece-rates;  second,  regulation  and  inspection 
to  supplement  the  action  of  the  boards. 

A  report  on  lingerie  by  the  French  Bureau  of  Labor,  covering  the 
home  workers  on  white  goods,4  has  been  followed  by  reports  on  the  arti- 
ficial flower  industry,5  and  the  boot  and  shoe  industry.6  The  investigation 
of  the  artificial  flower  industry  covered  416  of  the  24,000  workers  in- 
eluded  in  the  industry  in  France.  Fifty  per  cent  of  the  workers  in  Paris 
were  found  to  earn  between  150  and  450  francs  ($30  and  $90)  a  year. 
Sixty-one  per  cent  of  the  persons  investigated  worked  10  hours  a  day  or 
more  in  the  good  season,  and  26  per  cent  12  hours  a  day  or  more.  The 
recommendations  were:  First,  an  adjustment  of  the  feather  industry  to 

State  of  New  York.    Preliminary  Report  of  the  State  Factory  Investigating  Commission.    Albany.    1912. 

Fifth  Report  from  the  Select  Committee  of  the  House  of  Lords  on  the  Sweating  System.    London.    1890. 

Report  from  the  Select  Committee  on  Home  Work.    London.    1908. 

Enqu6te  sur  le  Travail  a  Domicile  dans  1'Industrie  de  la  Lingerie.    Office  du  Travail.    Paris.    1907-1911. 

Enqufite  sur  le  Travail  a  Domicile  dans  I'lndustrie  de  la  Fleur  Artificielle.    Paris.     1913. 

Enqudte  sur  le  Travail  a  Domicile  dans  I'lndustrie  de  la  Chaussuro.    Paris.    1914. 


SPECIAL   REPORTS   ON  HOME   WORK  141 

the  flower  industry  in  order  that  workers  may  be  skilled  in  both  trades 
and  so  avoid  the  dull  season ;  second,  a  minimum  wage  for  home  workers. 
A  minimum  wage  is  also  advocated  as  the  necessary  remedy  by  Paul 
Boyaval  in  "  La  Lutte  Contre  la  Sweating-System." 

For  the  third  inquiry  into  home  work,  the  boot  and  shoe  industry  was 
chosen,  because,  unlike  the  other  industries  investigated,  it  employs  more 
men  than  women  and  because  mechanical  tools  play  an  important  part 
in  the  work.  About  900  persons  furnished  the  data  on  which  the  report 
is  based,  724  being  workers,  130,  manufacturers,  and  the  remaining  46, 
contractors,  trade  union  secretaries,  etc.  The  earnings  of  home  workers 
were  found  to  be  generally  higher  in  the  boot  and  shoe  industry  than  in 
the  white  goods  or  artificial  flower  industries,  but  being  the  earnings  of 
men,  were  often  insufficient.  Gross  earnings  are  much  reduced  by  the 
cost  of  materials  and  tools.  About  33  per  cent  of  the  home  workers  em- 
ployed on  specialties  reported  net  annual  earnings  of  from  600  to  900 
francs  ($120  to  $180),  the  earnings  of  the  men  being  decidedly  higher 
than  those  of  the  women.  Half  the  men  engaged  in  the  work  reported 
that  their  hours  of  labor  ranged  from  11  to  12  a  day,  while  at  least  one- 
fifth  of  the  men  worked  from  13  to  16  hours  a  day;  50  per  cent  of  the 
women  worked  from  eight  to  10  hours  a  day  and  at  least  30  per  cent  from 
11  to  13  hours  a  day,  although  the  long  days  are  less  frequent  among  the 
women.  According  to  the  authorities  consulted,  home  work  in  the  boot 
and  shoe  industry  is  gradually  disappearing  in  the  large  cities  and  indus- 
trial towns;  in  the  country  districts  it  not  only  persists  but  increases. 

Home  work  in  Germany  has  been  subject  to  official  and  private  inves- 
tigation since  the  eighties.  A  government  report  on  the  garment  trades, 
published  in  1896,1  describes  the  low  rates  of  pay  and  the  long  and 
irregular  hours  prevalent  in  all  trades,  especially  women's  clothing.  More 
recent  is  a  survey  of  home  work  in  the  Handworterbuch  der  Sozialen 
Hygiene 2  in  which  the  number  of  home  workers  in  the  Kingdom  of 
Saxony  is  estimated  at  315,620. 

A  recent  study  in  Belgium  by  Pierre  Verhaegen  8  outlines  the  char- 
acteristics and  evils  of  home  work  and  the  difficulties  of  two  possible 
remedies  —  prohibition  and  regulation.  The  minimum  wage  is  recom- 
mended as  the  real  solution  of  the  problem. 

A  study  by  Alessandro  Schiavi,4  under  the  direction  of  La  Societa 
TJmanitaria  of  Milan,  emphasizes  the  supplementary  nature  of  the  income 

*  Kleider  und  Wasche-Konfektion.    Kaiserliches  Statistisches  Amt.    Berlin.    1986. 

*  HandwSrterbuch  der  Sozialen  Hygiene.    Leipzig.    1912. 

»  Travail  a  Domicile  et  Sweating  System.    By  Pierre  Verhaegen.    Brussels.    1912. 

4  Saggio  di  un'Inchicata  sul  lavoro  a  domicilio  in  Milano  (1908).    By  Alessandro  Schiavi. 


142  HOME   WORK    IN   MASSACHUSETTS 

from  home  work  and  the  close  connection  of  the  problem  with  the  problem 
of  housing.  The  regulation  of  convent  labor  and  an  extensive  investiga- 
tion into  home  work  in  the  great  urban  centers  is  recommended. 

The  first  volume  of  the  results  of  an  official  investigation  of  home 
work  in  the  Netherlands,  covering  about  18,000  workers,  was  published 
in  1911.1  The  report  emphasizes  the  urgent  need  of  reform  in  respect  to 
the  length  of  the  working  day,  the  rates  of  pay,  and  the  conditions  of  work. 

An  investigation  in  Finland  2  in  1907,  covered  621  shops  and  3,205 
workers  in  the  clothing  trades.  The  average  length  of  work  was  found 
to  be  from  nine  and  one-half  to  10  hours  and  the  range  of  wages  from 
eight  cents  to  $1.15  a  day. 

The  reports  show  little  uniformity  with  regard  to  the  recommenda- 
tions made.  In  general,  it  may  be  said  that  the  prohibition  of  home 
work  is  seldom  advocated  except  in  this  country.  The  general  trend  seems 
to  be  toward  the  establishment  of  a  minimum  wage,  with  the  support  of 
adequate  inspection  and  regulation. 

1  Onderzoekingen  naar  de  toestanden  in  de  Nederlandsche  Huisindustrie.    The  Hague.    1911-1914. 
«  UndersSkning  af  Nalarbeterskornas.    By  Vera  Hjelt.    Helsingfore.    1908. 


APPENDIX    B 


EXTKACTS   FEOM   KEPOETS    OF    IJSTSPECTOKS    OF   HOME 

WORK 

The  following  extracts  summarize  the  work  of  inspection  of  tenement 
manufacture  in  Massachusetts,  JSTew  York,  and  the  United  Kingdom. 

1.    MASSACHUSETTS.1 
STATE  BOARD  OF  LABOR  AND  INDUSTRIES. 

The  State  Board  of  Health  on  June  1,  1913,  relinquished  all  powers 
it  had  held  under  the  former  statute.  Because  of  the  interval  of  several 
weeks  before  the  appointment  of  this  Board,  and  because  of  the  fact  that 
it  was  found  impossible  to  organize  an  investigating  force  prior  to  the 
1st  of  September,  employers  of  home  workers  felt  it  their  right  to  give 
out  work  to  persons  holding  licenses  previously  issued  by  the  State  Board 
of  Health,  or  without  licenses  at  all,  at  least  until  such  time  as  the  Com- 
monwealth should  provide  means  for  granting  proper  licenses  to  their 
workers.  Thus  the  new  Board  started  its  work  on  this  problem  with  an 
accumulation  of  unlicensed  workers  and  a  long  waiting  list  of  those  de- 
siring inspection. 

The  problem  was  attacked  first  through  the  applications  that  came  in, 
and  by  searching  out  the  various  establishments  employing  home  workers. 
As  an  instance  of  constructive  effort  in  finding  new  fields  of  home  workers, 
the  city  of  Haverhill  may  be  cited.  The  State  Board  of  Health  report 
gave  no  intimation  of  licenses  having  been  granted  there,  and  from  private 
organizations  which  had  been  carrying  on  investigations  information  was 
received  that  very  little  home  work  was  performed  in  that  place. 

One  of  the  investigators  of  this  Board  was  sent  to  make  a  survey  of 
the  city,  and,  in  studying  the  shoe  industry,  it  was  found  that  the  making 
of  ornaments  for  shoes  was  largely  carried  on  in  the  homes.  To  make 
the  survey  as  complete  as  possible,  various  persons  and  organizations  were 
consulted,  as  follows:  Board  of  Trade,  Haverhill  Shoe  Manufacturing 
Association,  "  Haverhill  Herald/'  "  Haverhill  Gazette,"  Board  of  Health, 
Business  Agent  of  Boot  and  Shoe  Workers'  Union,  school  authorities, 
relief  organizations,  nursing  association. 

1  First  Annual  Report  of  the  State  Board  of  Labor  and  Industries,  1913,  pp.  13-18.     Boston.    1914. 


144  HOME   WORK   IN   MASSACHUSETTS 

All  were  interested  and  co-operative,  and  publicity  in  the  newspapers 
was  of  great  help  in  acquainting  the  people  with  the  law.  Twenty-two 
employers  in  that  city  have  already  sent  in  lists  of  their  home  workers, 
many  more  have  asked  for  information,  and  1,000  applications  for  licenses 
in  Haverhill  alone  have  been  registered  up  to  the  date  of  this  report. 

This  same  method  is  being  followed  in  Worcester,  where  we  have  had 
the  benefit  of  the  investigations  of  the  child  labor  committee,  the  officials 
of  which  were  most  generous  with  information  and  help.  Springfield  and 
the  surrounding  towns  have  also  been  visited  and  canvassed  in  the  same 
manner. 

It  has  been  most  gratifying  to  find  that  our  endeavors  are  meeting 
with  co-operation,  as  is  evidenced  by  the  fact  that  100  employers  are  send- 
ing to  us  each  month  lists  of  their  home  workers,  without  compelling  us 
in  any  case  to  resort  to  prosecution  under  the  provisions  of  sections  106 
to  111  of  chapter  514  of  the  Acts  of  1909. 

Statistical  Report. 

Total  number  of  visits  made  from  Sept  1,  1913,  to  Jan.  1,  1914,  .        .        .  4,690 

Total  number  of  licenses  granted, .        .        .  2,834 

Licenses  refused, 154 

Licenses  revoked, 55 

Not  found  and  not  in, 1,544 

Reinspected, 94 

Not  desiring  work, 165 

2.    NEW  YORK.1 

On  October  1,  1913,  there  were  outstanding  11,183  licenses  in  the 
greater  city. 

Ten  inspectors  were  detailed  to  this  Division  2  during  the  year,  and 
.  .  .  their  labors  combined  produced  visitations  to  17,023  different  tene- 
ments and  other  buildings  affected  by  the  law,  and  in  every  section  of  the 
greater  city,  as  follows:  10,985  licensed  tenement  houses,  325  licensed  rear 
shop  buildings,  1,959  buildings  for  which  requests  had  been  filed  for  new 
licenses,  284  revisits  to  buildings  where  licenses  had  been  denied,  2,601 
observation  visits  to  buildings  suspected  of  violating  the  law  (this  was  very 
largely  due  to  patrol  work  in  congested  sections)  and  869  licensed  build- 
ings against  which  sanitary  orders  had  been  issued  as  result  of  regular 
inspections. 

These  figures  of  compliance  visits  take  no  account  of  revisits  for  the 
same  purpose,  nor  of  hundreds  of  other  revisits  made  to  enforce  orders 

1  Thirteenth  Annual  Report  of  the  Commissioner  of  Labor  of  the  State  of  New  York,  for  the  12  months  ended 
September  30,  1913,  pp.  49-52.    Albany.    1914. 

8  Division  of  Homework  Inspection  in  the  State  Bureau  of  Factory  Inspection. 


REPORTS  —  INSPECTORS   OF  HOME   WORK  145 

promptly.  I  canceled  1,587  licenses  during  the  year,  while  198  were 
revoked  for  sanitary  causes,  as  required  by  law.  There  were  77  applica- 
tions canceled  for  various  reasons.  A  total  of  162  children  under  16 
years  of  age  were  reported  at  work  in  the  home,  111  of  which  number 
attended  school.  The  balance,  who  attended  no  school,  were  nearly  all 
new  arrivals  in  this  country.  These  children  were  found  at  work  after 
school  hours,  or  on  days  when  the  schools  were  not  in  session.  All  chil- 
dren reported  as  not  attending  school  were  promptly  referred  to  the  Board 
of  Education  to  be  attended  to  under  the  Compulsory  Education  Law,  as 
no  power  was  vested  in  this  Division  to  treat  otherwise.  There  were  447 
persons  found  illegally  employed  in  living  rooms  by  the  tenant  worker 
therein.  All  such  violations  were  promptly  dealt  with  by  having  the  out- 
side hands  discharged  or  the  work  stopped  by  tagging.  In  all  cases  where 
the  tenant  employer  hesitated  or  refused  to  comply,  the  application  of 
the  tenement  tag  had  the  desired  effect.  A  total  of  856  persons,  not 
members  of  the  family,  were  found  employed  by  custom  dressmakers. 
This  employment  was  legal,  for  it  was  consistent  with  the  provisions  con- 
tained in  section  100,  relating  to  work  of  this  class  done  on  the  ground 
floor  or  second  floor  of  tenement  houses.  Very  largely  as  the  result  of 
patrolling  in  certain  sections  of  the  city  where  work  is  congested,  1,837 
owners  or  agents  were  served  with  notice  under  section  105  for  work 
being  done  in  un-licensed  houses.  Quite  a  good  many  owners  will  not 
allow  tenants  to  do  work  of  a  public  character  in  their  apartments  if  they 
know  it,  and  in  consequence  of  our  notice  the  offending  tenant  is  often 
ordered  to  cease  work  or  move.  I  caused  investigation  to  be  made  of  500 
houses  where  work  had  ceased  or  licenses  were  removed,  and  in  only  17 
of  this  number  was  work  found  going  on  which  came  under  the  law.  I 
consider  this  a  very  remarkable  showing  on  this  point.  There  were  26 
cases  of  disease  reported  by  the  inspectors,  and  only  four  of  such  cases 
were  found  in  living  rooms  where  work  was  also  reported.  The  tenement 
tag  was  used  in  228  cases,  while  in  36  of  these  cases  the  inspector  also 
seized  the  goods  tagged  as  provided  in  section  102.  The  tag  is  a  most 
effective  argument  to  use  in  obstinate  cases,  as  it  leaves  the  offender  no 
choice  but  to  clean  or  remain  idle.  Its  use  also  has  the  merit  of  arousing 
the  anger  of  the  worker,  very  often  to  the  fighting  pitch.  It  is  a  common 
act  of  the  inspectors  to  call  in  a  policeman  or  a  second  inspector  when 
he  has  a  case  where  the  work  must  be  stopped  by  the  use  of  the  tenement 
tag.  Two  of  the  inspectors  were  severely  assaulted  this  past  season.  In 
one  case  a  father  and  son  fell  upon  the  inspector  and  beat  him,  notwith- 
standing the  fact  that  a  second  inspector  was  present.  These  parties 


146  HOME   WORK   IN   MASSACHUSETTS 

were  arrested  and  received  a  thirty-day  jail  sentence  for  their  act.  In 
the  second  case,  the  assault  was  by  a  woman  sympathizer,  on  a  woman 
inspector,  who  had  seized  some  coats  in  a  very  dirty  house  and  was 
removing  them  to  the  express  office.  The  assault  was  made  on  the  street, 
and  the  inspector  was  so  badly  injured  that  she  was  incapacitated  for 
work  for  nearly  three  months,  having  been  cut  and  scratched  by  the 
assailant  from  which  blood  poisoning  set  in.  During  all  this  time  she 
was  under  medical  treatment.  I  make  mention  of  these  cases  here  to 
indicate  some  of  the  difficulties  the  inspector  has  to  contend  with  in  his 
efforts  to  enforce  the  law. 

The  strike  of  the  ready-made  clothing  workers  caused  considerable 
slackness  in  home  work  during  its  continuance.  As  soon  as  a  settlement 
was  reached  there  was  a  rush  by  employing  contractors  to  make  up  for 
the  time  lost  by  the  strike,  and  work  was  sent  out  to  tenement  houses 
wherever  a  worker  could  be  obtained,  without  any  regard  for  law  or 
license.  As  a  result  of  this  condition,  the  inspectors  were  kept  very  busy 
for  months,  but  by  a  liberal  use  of  both  the  tag  and  the  courts,  a  check 
was  placed  on  the  contractors,  and  a  more  normal  condition  made  to 
prevail.  Altogether  74  employers  were  haled  to  court  on  the  complaint 
of  the  inspectors  for  placing  out  their  work  unlawfully.  The  total  of  all 
persons  found  at  work  in  living  apartments  this  year  is  16,714,  against 
16,303  reported  last  year.  The  number  of  stores  and  other  shops  found 
in  tenement  houses  was  1,134,  with  3,266  workers,  including  the  pro- 
prietors, against  1,500  shops  and  4,140  workers  last  year.  These  com- 
parisons show  that  the  total  of  all  workers  varies  but  little.  This  fact 
will  be  further  emphasized  if  the  comparisons  be  extended  to  the  past  four 
years.  I  removed  licenses  from  a  total  of  1,785  buildings,  and  1,728 
new  licenses  were  granted.  These  figures  do  not  mean  the  stopping  of 
the  work  of  so  many  old  tenement  workers  and  admitting  a  new  flock  in 
their  places;  it  is  merely  indicative  of  the  moving  about  of  the  people 
engaged  in  this  class  of  labor.  This  condition  is  constant. 

Out  of  a  total  of  20,083  workers  found  in  licensed  buildings  of  all 
sorts,  the  numbers  at  work  on  different  classes  of  goods  were  7,530  on 
custom-made  clothing;  8,417  on  ready-made  clothing;  1.747  on  artificial 
flowers;  1,015  on  feathers,  and  1,374  on  other  articles.  These  workers 
were  distributed  by  races  as  follows:  Italians,  10,753;  Jews,  6,544; 
Germans,  1,127 ;  Americans,  666,  with  the  remainder  scattered  among 
28  other  nationalities  with  but  small  numbers  in  any  one. 

The  general  conditions  are  as  satisfactory  as  can  be  expected,  and  I 
might  add,  as  good  as  the  weather  and  the  Street  Cleaning  Department 


REPORTS  —  INSPECTORS  OF  HOME  WORK 


147 


will  permit  in  the  so-called  congested  (neglected)  sections  of  the  city. 
The  bulk  of  inspection  work  is  done  between  October  and  May  of  each 
year,  when  the  housing  conditions  are  at  their  very  worst,  yet  we  do  not 
find  any  real  intolerable  conditions  or  abuses.  We  find,  as  we  always 
will  find,  the  poor,  who  have  no  time  for  anything  but  to  struggle  for 
existence,  the  untidy  who  must  be  forced  to  observe  even  ordinary  cleanly 
conditions,  and  congestion  of  families  crowded  into  single  apartments  in 
twos  and  threes  by  reason  of  high  rents.  There  seems  to  be  no  cure  for 
these  conditions,  but  rather  a  tendency  to  constantly  increasing  them. 

We  find  no  real  antagonism  to  the  enforcement  of  the  law  from  any 
source,  except  in  an  isolated  case  here  and  there.  Employers,  especially 
the  manufacturers,  lend  willing  co-operation  to  the  advice  or  suggestions 
of  the  officers  of  the  Department. 

(Signed)         DANIEL  O'LEARY, 

Chief  of  Homework  Division. 

TABLE  A.  —  Statement  of  Licenses  for  Entire  Period  of  Amended  Law  (October  1, 1904 

to  September  SO,  1913.} 


CLASSIFICATION. 

New  York 
State 

New  York 
City 

Remainder 
of  State 

Applications  received  

21,117 

20,323 

794 

Applications  granted, 

19,291 

18,519 

772 

Applications  refused,    

236 

214 

22 

Applications  canceled, 

1,579 

1,579 

Applications  pending,  

11 

11 

_ 

7,011 

6,839 

172 

Licenses  revoked  for  unlawful  conditions  

497 

497 

Total  number  of  licensed  premises,  September  30,  1913,    .... 

11,783 

11,183 

600 

TABLE  B.  — -  Record  of  Licenses  for  1913  and  1912. 


1913 

1912 

CLASSIFICATION. 

New  York 

New  York 

Remainder 

New  York 

State 

City 

Of  State 

State 

Total  Applications. 

2,069 

1,965 

104 

1,944 

Applications  pending  October  1,  1912,    . 

27 

27 

_ 

6 

Applications  received  during  year, 

. 

2,042 

1,938 

104 

1,938 

On  first  investigation: 

9,069 

1J965 

104 

1,944 

Applications  granted,   . 

t 

1,609 

1,524 

85 

1,746 

Applications  refused,    . 

408 

389 

19 

136 

Applications  canceled,  . 
Applications  pending,  . 

, 

, 

41 

11 

41 
11 

35 
27 

On  reinvestigation  of  applicatio 

rw  pr 

eviously  re 

fused 

SOI 

284 

17 

117 

Applications  granted,    . 

205 

194 

11 

91 

Applications  refused  again, 

60 

54 

6 

19 

Applications  canceled,  . 

. 

. 

36 

36 

- 

7 

Licenses  canceled  at  request  of  licensee, 

1,628 

1,587 

41 

3,480 

Licenses  revoked  for  unlawful  conditions, 

* 

198 

198 

226 

148  HOME   WORK   IN   MASSACHUSETTS 


3.    UNITED  KINGDOM.1 

The  Home  Work  Orders  are  being  satisfactorily  enforced.  This  sub- 
ject is  dealt  with  at  greatest  length  by  the  Lady  Inspectors,  and  the  in- 
dustries which  came  under  special  observation  were :  —  cosaques  and 
Christmas  stockings,  shrimp  shelling  and  potting,  machine-made  lace,  and 
file-cutting,  but  machine-made  lace  called  for  special  attention,  and  Miss 
Anderson  herself  made  some  personal  study  of  the  conditions  prevailing 
(see  Particulars)  and  reports  fully  thereon.  Miss  Martindale  visited 
outworkers  employed  in  file-cutting.  She  found  the  women  had  all  been 
employed  previous  to  marriage  in  the  factories,  and  were,  with  few  ex- 
ceptions, aware  of  the  dangers  and  of  the  advisability  of  not  carrying  on 
the  work  in  the  kitchen  and  living-rooms.  She  does  not  think  this  is  a 
trade  likely  to  increase  as  regards  home  work,  as  files  are  now  being  cut 
by  machinery.  Miss  Ahrons  reports  on  cosaques. 

1  Annual  Report  of  the  Chief  Inspector  of  Factories  and  Workshops  for  the  Year  1912.    London.    1913.    Pages 
TXVI,  247. 


REPORTS  —  INSPECTORS   OF   HOME   WORK 


149 


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APPENDIX    C 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 

(NOTE.  —  Stars  indicate  material  to  be  found  in  the  Library  of  the  Massachusetts  Bureau  of  Statistics.) 

GENERAL  REFERENCES. 


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ABELSDOBFF,  Walter.  Heimarbeit.  Extract 
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ALDEN,  Percy.  The  problem  of  sweating.  In 
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ALLEXANDRE,  Marcel.  Essai  sur  Vindustrie 
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* Bibliographic  generate  des  industries  a  domicile. 
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*Buss,  William  D.  P.  Sweat-shops.  In  his 
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*BLOMFIELD,  A.  H.  Home  industries.  In 
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*BOLEN,  George  L.  Relief  of  the  sweated 
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BOYAVAL,  Paul.  La  lutte  contre  le  sweating- 
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L'exemple  de  V Australasie  et  de  I'Angle- 
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Mun.  Paris.  Alcan.  [1911.]  (4),  718  p. 
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BRANTS,  Victor.  La  petite  Industrie  contem- 
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CADBURY,  Edward  and  SHANN,  George. 
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Headley  Brothers.  1907.  145  p. 

Case  for  a  legal  minimum  wage.  Fabian  tract 
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*Congres  international  du  travail  a  domicile, 
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*Congrds  international  du  travail  a  domicile, 
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proceedings.)  In  Bulletin  de  Voffice  du 
travail,  v.  19.  p.  1051-1054.  Paris. 
Oct.  1912. 

COTELLE,  Theodore.  Le  sweating  system. 
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DUCHENE,  Mme.  Une  organisation  profes- 
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to  the  second  international  homework  con- 
gress, Zurich,  Sept.  7-9,  1912.) 

Der  erste  internationale  Heimarbeiterschutz- 
Kongress.  In  Monatsschrift  fur  christ- 
liche  Sozialreform.  v.  32.  Basel.  Oct. 
1910. 

GOLDSCHMIDT,  E.  F.  Heimarbeit.  Ihre 
Entstehung  und  Ausartung.  Miknchen. 
E.  Reinhardt.  1913.  51  p. 

GONNARD,  R.  La  femme  dans  Vindustrie. 
Paris.  A.  Colin.  1906.  284  p. 

GOULD,  E.  R.  L.  Sweating  system.  In 
Universal  cyclopedia  and  atlas,  revised 
edition.  New  York.  Appleton.  1902. 
v.  11.  p.  237. 

*HARRIB,  A.  J.  The  evil  in  sweat  shops,  and 
how  to  remedy  it.  In  Proceedings  of 
thirteenth  annual  convention  of  the  inter- 
national association  of  factory  inspectors, 
Quebec,  Aug.  29-31,  1899.  p.  12,  13. 

*Heimarbeit.  In  Die  Fortschritte  der  amtlichen 
Arbeitsstatistik  in  den  wichtigsten  Staaten. 
pts.  1  and  2.  Beitrage  zur  Arbeiterstatis- 


HOME   WORK   BIBLIOGRAPHY 


151 


tik,  nos.  1  and  7.  Issued  by  the  KAISEH- 
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commissie  over  de  werkloosheid.  's-Graven- 
hage. Algemeene  Landsdrukkerij.  1913. 
xiv,  264  p. 

*Verslagen  der  kamers  van  arbeid  over  1911. 
Issued  by  the  MINISTER  VAN  LANDBOUW, 
NIJVERHBID  EN  HANDEL.  's-Gravenhage. 
Gebr.  Belinfante.  1912.  vii,  470,  xv  p. 

ZAALBEKG,  C.  J.  Ph.  Huisindustrie  en  vak- 
beweging.  1912.  7  p.  (Report  to  the 
second  international  homework  congress, 
Zurich,  Sept.  7-9,  1912.) 

NORWAY. 

Beretning  angaaende  Hjemmearbeids-Utstillnin- 
gen  t  Bergen  1912.  Issued  by  BERGENS 
AVDEUNG.  Bergen.  M.  Krausz'  Bok- 
trykkeri.  1912.  17  p. 

SOLNJORDAL,  .  Ldnningsraad  for  Hjem- 

meindustrien.  Issued  by  the  NORSK 

FORENING   FOR   SoCIALT   ARBEIDE.      Kris- 

tiania.    1912.    13  p. 

RUSSIA  AND  FINLAND. 

Russia. 

BUJANSKY,  Joseph.  Der  zweite  russische 
Hausindustrie  Kongress.  In  Soziale 
Praxis.  Berlin.  Apr.  21,  1910. 

IVANOFF,  J.  M.  Les  "koustari"  russes.  St. 
Petersburg.  Goldberg.  1902.  iv,  106  p. 

Peasant  industries.  In  The  Russian  yearbook 
for  1912.  Compiled  and  edited  by  Howard 
P.  KENNARD.  New  York.  Macmillan. 
1912.  p.  396-400. 

Rapports  et  etudes  concernant  Vindustrie  domes- 
tique  en  Russie.  (Les  koustari.)  Issued 
by  the  MINISTERS  DBS  DOMAINES.  St. 
Petersburg.  Kirschbaum.  1892-1903. 
7  v. 

REINKE,  Michel  de.  Rapport  sur  Vindustrie 
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international  homework  congress,  Brus- 
sels, 1910.)  5  p. 


Report  [on  conditions  of  homework  in 

Russia]   presented   to   the   second   inter- 
national homework  congress,  Zurich,  Sept. 
7-9,  1912.     6  p. 

Die  russische  Hausindustrie.  In  Soziale 
Rundschau.  1900.  pt.  2.  p.  322-330. 

STIEDA,  Wilhelm.  Arbeiten  der  Kommission 
zum  Studium  der  Hausindustrie.  In 
Jahrbucher  fur  National  dkonomie  und 
Statistik.  new  series,  v.  6.  p.  414-436. 
Jena.  1883. 

Travaux  de  la  commission  pour  Vetude  de  Vin- 
dustrie domestique  (les  koustari)  en  Russie. 
St.  Petersburg.  Kirschbaum.  1879- 
1887.  14  v. 

Finland. 

*HJELT,  Vera.  Undersdkning  af  nalarbeter- 
skornas  yrkexfdrhallanden  i  Finland.  Is- 
sued by  the  INDUSTRISTYRELSE.  Helsing- 
fors.  1908.  xviii,  122,  245  p.  [Arbets- 
statistik  6.] 

SOUTH  AMERICA. 

Argentine  Republic. 

*EMERT,  Celia  Lapalma  de.  Trabajo  de  la 
mujer  a  domicilio.  In  Boletin  del  departa- 
mento  nacional  del  trabajo.  no.  19.  p. 
788-796.  Buenos  Aires.  Dec.  31,  1911. 

*E1    trabajo  &   domicilio    en    Buenos 

Aires.      Resultados    de    la    investigaci6n 
hecha  por  la  inspecci6n.     In  Boletin  del 
departamento    nacional    del    trabajo.      no. 
25.     p.   876-948.     Buenos   Aires.     Dec. 
31,  1913. 

Paraguay. 

Lace  and  embroidery.  Spider-web  productions 
a  household  industry.  In  United  States 
monthly  consular  and  trade  report,  no. 
349.  Washington.  Government  Print- 
ing Office.  Oct.  1909.  p.  155,  156. 

SPAIN. 

*CASTROVIEJO,  Amando.  Los  comit6s  de 
salarios  en  el  trabajo  &  domicilio.  Pub- 
lication no.  20  of  the  ASOCIACION  INTER- 

NACIONAL    PARA     LA    PROTECCTON    LEGAL 

DE  LOS  TRABAJADORES.  SECCJON  Es- 
PANOLA.  Madrid.  Imprenta  de  la  Suces- 
ora  de  M.  Minuesa  de  los  Rios.  1911. 
8  p. 

La  reglamentacion  del  trabajo  d  domi- 
cilio en  Espana.     1912.    5  p.     (Report  to 
the  second  international  homework  con- 
gress. Zurich,  Sept.  7-9,  1912.)     Reprinted 
in  *Espana  social,    v.  3.    no.  15.    p.  217- 
220.    May- June,  1912. 


174 


HOME   WORK   IN   MASSACHUSETTS 


*CASTROVIEJO,  Amando  y  SANGRO  Y  Ros  DE 
OLANO,  Pedro.  El  trabajo  d  domicilio  en 
Espana.  Publication  no.  10  of  the  Aso- 
CIACION  INTERNACIONAL  PARA  LA  PRO- 
TECCION  LEGAL  DB  LOS  TRABAJADORES. 
SECCION  ESPANOLA.  Madrid.  Imprenta 
de  la  Sucesora  de  M.  Minuesa  de  los  Rios. 
1908.  128  p. 

MENY,  G.  El  trabajo  a  domicilio  y  el  trabajo 
barato.  In  Biblioteca  ciencia  y  accitin. 
Madrid.  1911. 

*TALLADA,  Jos6  M.  Los  venenos  industriales 
en  el  trabajo  d  domicilio.  Publication  no. 
22  of  the  ASOCIACION  INTERNACIONAL 
PARA  LA  PROTECCION  LEGAL  DB_  LOS 
TRABAJADORES.  SECCION  ESPANOLA. 
Madrid.  Imprenta  de  la  Sucesora  de  M. 
Minuesa  de  los  Rios.  1911.  7  p. 

SWEDEN. 

*Arbetsloner  mom  den  svenska  tobaksin- 
dustrien  ar  1908,  pt.  3.  Handtverkets  och 
hemindustriens  arbetspersonal.  In  Med- 
delanden  fran  K.  Kommerskollegii,  Afdel- 
ningfdr  Arbetsstatistik.  Stockholm.  1911. 
p.  941,  942. 

MEYERSON,  Gerda.  Svenska  hemarbetsfSrhai- 
landen.  En  undersokning  utfSrd  som 
grund  for  Centralforbundets  for  socialt 
arbete  hemarbetsutstallning  i  Stockholm, 
Oktober  1907.  Stockholm.  Ekmans 
Forlag.  1907.  72,  104  p. 

*Regelung  der  Heimarbeit.  In  Soziale  Rund- 
schau. 12th  year.  p.  437,  438.  Wien. 
Mar.  1911. 

*ZBYS,  Louise.  Les  petites  industries  rurales 
en  Suede.  In  Le  Musee  social.  Memoires 
et  documents.  Paris.  Sept.  1912.  p. 
269-279. 

SWITZERLAND. 

ALLOBMEINER  SCHWEIZERISCHE  HEIMARBEIT- 
KONGRESS.  Verhandlungen  des  ersten 
allgemeinen  Schweizerischen  Heimarbeit- 
kongr  esses  vom  7  und  8  August  1909  in 
Zurich.  Zurich.  1909.  196  p. 

ANROOY,  Josephine  van.  Die  Hausindustrie  in 
der  schweizerischen  Seidenstoffweberie. 
In  Zeitschrift  fur  die  schweizerische  Statis- 
tik.  (Journal  de  statistique  suisse.) 
Bern.  1904.  no.  5. 

BECK,  J.  Die  Heimarbeit  in  der  Schweiz. 
In  Monatsschrift  fur  christliche  Sozial- 
reform.  v.  31.  nos.  11  and  12.  Basel. 
1909. 

Die  schweizerische  Hausindustrie.  Ihre 

soziale  und  wirtschaftliche  Lage.  In 
Schweizerische  Blatter  fur  Wirtschafts-  und 
Sozialpolitik.  v.  17.  no.  13  and  14.  Bern. 
1909. 


DECURTINS,  C.  Bilder  aus  der  schweizeri- 
schen Heimarbeit.  In  Monatsschrifi  fur 
christliche  Sozialreform.  v.  31.  no.  10. 
Basel.  1909. 

DUBOIS,  Ernest  et  JULIN,  Armand.  Les 
moteurs  electriques  dans  les  industries  a 
domicile.  1.  L'industrie  horlogere  suisse. 
2.  Le  tissage  de  la  soie  a  Lyon.  3.  L'in- 
dustrie de  la  rubanerie  a  Saint-Etienne. 
Issued  by  the  OFFICE  DU  TRAVAIL  DB 
BELGIQUE.  Bruxelles.  Society  Beige  de 
Librairie.  1902.  292  p. 

Economic  and  social  conditions  of  Swiss  home 
workers,  with  special  reference  to  the  exhibi- 
tion of  home  work  held  in  Zurich  in  1909. 
Zurich.  1910.  70  p. 

Eine  Enquete  iiber  die  Heimarbeit  in  der 
Schweiz.  In  Correspondenzblatt  der  Gen- 
eralkommission  der  Gewerkschaften  Deutsch- 
lands.  v.  19.  no.  23.  Berlin.  1909. 

FALLET,  M.  Le  travail  a  domicile  dans  I'hor- 
logerie  suisse  et  ses  industries  annexes. 
Berne.  Imprimerie  de  1'Union.  1912. 
544  p. 

Zur  Frage  dea  Heimarbeiterschutzes.  In 
Schweizerische  Blatter  fur  Wirtschafts-  und 
Sozialpolitik.  v.  15.  no.  24.  Bern.  1907. 

Fuhrer  durch  die  schweizerische  Heimarbeit- 
Ausstellung,  1909.  Zurich.  Buchhand- 
lung  des  Griltlivereins.  1909. 

GESER-ROHNER,  A.  Die  Stickereiindustrie  der 
Ostschweiz  in  Vergangenheit  und  Gegen- 
wart.  In  Monatsschrift  fur  christliche 
Sozialreform.  v.  30.  no.  2.  Basel.  1908. 

GOTTBERO,  Margarete  von.  Kurzer  Ueber- 
blick  fiber  die  Schweizer  Heimarbeit.  In 
Dokumente  des  Fortschrittes.  3d  year, 
no.  10.  Berlin.  1910. 

GROSS,  Paul.  Die  Heimarbeit  im  Kanton  St. 
Gallen.  Die  Ergebnisse  der  Enquete  ira 
Winter  1908-09.  Pt.  25  of  Statistik  des 
Kantons  St.  Gallen.  Bern.  1909.  30  p. 

Die  Heimarbeit  im  Kanton  St.  Gallen 

nach  den  Ergebnissen  der  Betriebszah- 
lung  vom  Jahre  1905.  In  Schweizerische 
Blatter  fur  Wirtschafts-  und  Sozialpolitik. 
v.  16.  no.  18.  Bern.  1908. 

HATTENSCHWILLER,  G.  Die  schweizerische 
Hausindustrie.  In  Soziale  Kultur.  v.  30. 
no.  6.  MQnchen-Gladbach.  1910. 

Die  Hausindustrie  im  Kanton  Bern.  In  Mit- 
teilungen  des  Bernischen  Statistischen 
Bureaus,  1909.  Berlin.  1909. 

Die  Hausindustrie  in  der  Schweiz.  Auszug  aus 
den  Ergebnissen  der  eidgenossischen  Be- 
triebszahlung  vom  9  August  1905.  Issued 
by  the  STATISTISCHES  BUREAU  DES  EID- 
GENOSSISCHEN DEPARTEMENTS  DBS  IN- 
NERN.  Bern.  1909.  xii,  50  p. 


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175 


*Die  Hausindustrie  in  der  Schweiz.  In  Reichs- 
Arbeitsblatt.  v.  8.  p.  905-911.  Berlin. 
Dec.  1910. 

Die  Hausindustrie  in  der  Stadt  Zurich  in  den 
Jahren  1900  und  1905.  Nach  den  Ergeb- 
nissen  der  Volkszahlung  1900  und  der 
Betriebszahlung  1905  nebst  Vergleichen 
mit  der  Volkszahlung  1894.  Issued  by  the 
STATISTISCHES  AMT.  Zurich.  1912.  iv, 
98  p. 

Hausindustrielle  Beschaftigung  von  Schulkin- 
dern  im  Kanton  Appenzeil.  In  Schwei- 
zerische Bldtter  fur  Wirtschafts-  und  Sozial- 
politik.  v.  12.  no.  22.  Bern.  1904. 

Die  Heimarbeit  in  der  Appenzeilischen  Weber ei. 
(Report  of  the  SCHWEIZERISCHES  ARBEI- 
TERSEKRETARIAT  to  the  Schweizerische 
Industriedepartementen.)  Zurich.  1911. 
112  p. 

Heimarbeit  und  Kundigungspflicht.  In  Gewerk- 
schaftliche  Rundschau  fur  die  Schweiz. 
v.  4.  no.  6.  Bern.  1912. 

*Heimarbeiterschutzkongress.  In  Soziale 
Rundschau.  10th  year.  v.  2.  p.  532- 
535.  Wien.  Oct.  1909. 

Les  industries  a  domicile  en  Suisse.  In  Reforme 
sociale.  v.  30.  no.  101.  Paris.  1910. 

LORENZ,  Jacob.  Bilder  aus  der  schweizeri- 
schen  Heimarbeit.  In  Monatsschrift  fur 
chri&ttiche  Sozialreform.  v.  31.  no.  6. 
Basel.  1909. 

Heimarbeit  und  Heimarbeiterausstel- 

lung    in    der    Schweiz.       Sozialpolitische 
Zeitfragen  der    Schweiz.     pt.   6.     Zurich. 
Buchhandlung  des  Grutlivereins.      1909. 

Die  wirtschaftlichen  und  sozialen  Ver- 

hdltnisse  in  der  schweizerischen   Heimar- 
beit.     Mit    besonderer    Beriicksichtigung 
der  Ergebnisse  der  schweizerischen  Heim- 
arbeit-Ausstellung.    v.  1.  (in  4  pts.)      Die 
Heimarbeit  in  der  Textilindustrie.  Zurich. 
Buchhandlung  des  Grutiivereins.      1911. 
xii,  508  p. 

Pt.  1.     Die  Heimarbeit  in  der  schweizeri- 
schen Seidenindustrie. 

Pt.  2.    Die  Heimarbeit  in  der  Baumwollin- 
dustrie. 

Pt.   3.     Die  Heimarbeit  in  der  Leinenin- 
dustrie. 

Pt.  4.    Die  Heimarbeit  in  der  Wirkerei  und 

Strickerei. 

MADAY,  Andre  de  et  MA  DAT,  Marthe  Hentrelt 
de.  Enquete  sur  le  travail  a  domicile  chez 


les  bijoutiers  du  canton  de  Geneve.  Geneve. 
Imprimerie  Atar.  1910.  173  p. 

NAF,  E.  Die  aargauische  Hausindustrie.  In 
Zeitschrift  fUr  die  schweizerische  Statistik. 
(Journal  de  statistique  suisse.)  Bern. 
1909.  no.  5. 

PIECZYNSKA-REICHENBACH,  E.  Du  r6le  qui 
incombe  aux  ligues  sociales  d'acheteurs  dans 
le  domaine  du  travail  a  domicile.  1912. 
7  p.  (Report  to  the  second  international 
homework  congress,  Zurich,  Sept.  7-9, 
1912.) 

Regelung  der  Heimarbeit  in  der  Schweiz.  In 
Soziale  Praxis,  v.  17.  no.  46.  Berlin.  1908. 

SCHULER,  Fr.  Die  schweizerische  Hausin- 
dustrie. In  Zeitschrift  fur  die  schweize- 
rische Statistik.  (Journal  de  statistique 
suisse.)  Bern.  1904.  no.  2.  p.  125-166. 

Die  schweizerische  Heimarbeitausstellung.  In 
Correspondenzblatt  der  Generalkommission 
der  Gewerkschaften  Deutschlands.  v.  19. 
no.  13.  Berlin.  1909. 

*Les  statistiques  des  industries  a  domicile  et 
les  expositions  du  travail  a  domicile  de 
Zurich  et  de  Bale.  In  Bulletin  de  Voffi.ce 
du  travail,  v.  16.  p.  1333-1335.  Paris. 
Dec.  1909. 

THURKAUF,  Emil.  Verlag  und  Heimarbeit  in 
der  Easier  Seidenbandindustrie.  Easier 
Volkswirtschafllichen  Arbeiten,  no.  1. 
Stuttgart.  W.  Kohlhammer.  1909.  xx, 
275  p. 

*Le  travail  a  domicile  et  les  ateliers  communs 
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21.  no.  4.  Berlin.  1911. 

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zeil. In  Zeitschrift  fur  die  schweizerische 
Stalislik.  (Journal  de  statistique  suisse.) 
Bern.  1905.  no.  2. 


APPENDIX   D 


SPECIMEN  FOEMS  OF  INQUIRY 
CIRCULAR  LETTER  AND  SCHEDULE  SENT  TO  MANUFACTURERS 

0%  (Uummmuuraltl)  of  fBaasarlfUiirUit 

BUREAU   OF  STATISTICS 
LABOR    DIVISION 

STATE  House,  BOSTON 
CHARLES   F.  GETTEMY 

DIRECTOR 

DEAR  SIB: 

This  Bureau  is  engaged  in  a  study  of  Home  Work  in  the  Industries  of  Massa- 
chusetts, and  would  greatly  appreciate  your  co-operation  in  furnishing  us  with 
information  asked  for  on  the  enclosed  form. 

Permit  me  to  assure  you  that  any  information  you  may  be  willing  to  furnish 
will  be  used  solely  for  statistical  purposes  and  will  not  be  published  under  your 
name. 

Assuring  you  of  our  appreciation  of  your  courtesy  in  this  matter,  I  am 

Respectfully  yours, 

CHARLES  F.  GETTEMY, 

Director. 
HOME  WORK. 

Definition:  By  Home  Work  in  this  instance  is  meant  any  kind  of  manufacturing  or  work 
done  for  a  manufacturer,  merchant,  or  his  agent,  by  persons  not  working  on  the  premises. 

1.  Industry .* 

(Refers  to  the  general  character  of  the  work  performed  by  the  establishment;  for  example, 

boots  and  shoes.) 

2.  Product    

(Refers  to  the  particular  output;  for  example,  women's  shoes.) 

3.  Describe  the  kind  of  work  done  off  the  premises.     If  no  work  of  any  description  is  given 
out  by  any  department,  write  "NONE"  and  return  this  schedule  in  the  enclosed  stamped  envelope 
in  order  that  further  correspondence  may  be  rendered  unnecessary. 


4.  Is  the  work  distributed  by  agents  or  contractors  or  directly  from  the  establishment? 

5.  Average  number  of  home  workers  employed  during  the  busy  season 

6.  What  was  the  total  amount  of  wages  paid  to  home  workers  during  the  last  financial  year 
of  your  establishment?     $ for  year  ending 191     . 

7.  If  Home  Work  was  given  out  in  former  years,  but  is  now  abandoned,  kindly  state  when 

it  was  given  up 19 ....  and  why? 

Date..  ..191 


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INDEX 


INDEX 


ABOLITION  OF  HOME  WORK,  see  PROHIBI- 
TION OF  HOME  WORK. 

"ADRIFT,"  meaning  as  applied  to  women, 
33  (ft.  nt.). 

ADVERTISEMENTS,  home  work,  16,  60. 

AGE  OF  HOME  WORKERS,  xxv;  in  all  in- 
dustries, 30-31;  wearing  apparel  in- 
dustry, 82-83:  jewelry,  102;  paper 
goods,  112-113;  celluloid  goods,  123; 
sporting  goods,  129. 

ARMENIANS,  as  home  workers,  82. 

ARTIFICIAL  FLOWER  MAKING,  report  on 
working  conditions,  138-139;  investi- 
gation of,  in  France,  140-141.  See  also 
PAPER  FLOWERS. 

ASSEMBLING  CHAIN,  method  of,  93. 

BASEBALLS,  home  work  processes,  127;  rates 

of  pay,  128;  seasonal  character  of  work, 

128. 
BASKETS,  home  work  processes  and  rates  of 

pay,  120-121. 
BEADING,  73. 
BEAD-STRINGING,  95-96. 
BEDROOMS,  use   as  workroom,  xiv,   57-58; 

for  paper  goods  manufacture,  118;  for 

sporting  goods  manufacture,  132. 
BIBLIOGRAPHY  OF  HOME  WORK,  150-175. 
BLACK  FOREST,  chain  making  in,  100. 
BOOTS,  see  SHOES  AND  SHOE  TRIMMINGS. 
BOXES,  see  PAPER  BOXES. 
BRUSHES,  home  work  on,  133-134;  rates  of 

pay,  133. 
BUTTONS,  home  work  on,  68-71;    rates  of 

pay,  70;  celluloid,  home  work  processes 

and  rates  of  pay,  119. 
BUTTONHOLE    MAKING,  rates  of  pay,  63; 

for  men's  shirts,  65. 

CANDY,  tenement  manufacture,  27. 
CELLULOID  GOODS,  119-126;  rate  of  pay  per 

hour,     48-49;      overcrowding     among 

workers,  56;    centers  of  industry,  119; 

processes  and  rates  of  pay,   119-121; 

novelties,  120-121;   character  of  work, 


121;  effect  on  health,  121-122;  labor 
supply,  122;  charges  on  earnings  of 
workers,  122;  method  of  distribution, 
122-123;  the  worker,  123-126;  sex 
and  age,  123;  school  attendance,  124; 
earnings  and  incomes,  124-125;  work- 
ing conditions,  125-126;  seasonal  char- 
acter of  industry,  125-126. 

CHAIN  MAKING,  91-94;  home  work  proc- 
esses, 91-93;  rates  of  pay,  93-94;  labor 
supply,  98-99;  reasons  for  home  work, 
99-100. 

CHARGES  ON  EARNINGS  OF  HOME  WORKERS, 
52-53;  in  celluloid  goods  industry,  126; 
in  sporting  goods  industry,  131. 

CHILDBIRTH,  employment  of  women  home 
workers  near  time  of,  64. 

CHILD  LABOR,  danger  of,  xiv.  See  also 
CHILDREN  AS  HOME  WORKERS. 

CHILD  LABOR  LAW,  of  1913,  19(ft.  nt.),  20. 

CHILDREN  AS  HOME  WORKERS,  prohibi- 
tion of,  4;  Massachusetts  law  regard- 
ing, 19  (ft.  nt.);  age  and  sex,  30-31; 
school  attendance,  32;  physical  effects, 
32,  103,  107;  men's  clothing  industry, 
63-64;  finishing  caps,  75;  elastic  woven 
goods,  77-78;  wearing  apparel,  82-83; 
tag  stringing,  111;  paper  goods,  111, 
112-113;  celluloid  goods,  123,  126; 
sporting  goods,  129;  brushes,  133;  silk 
goods,  134;  report  of  New  York  in- 
spector regarding,  145. 

CHILDREN'S  CLOTHING,  66-68.  See  also 
WOMEN'S  CLOTHING. 

CHRISTMAS  BOXES,  111. 

CIGAR  MAKERS'  UNION,  regulation  of  tene- 
ment house  manufacture,  20,  27. 

CLOAK,  SUIT  AND  SKIRT  MAKERS'  STRIKE, 
20,  21 ;  effect  on  home  work,  146. 

CLOTHING  MANUFACTURE,  reference  to 
Massachusetts  laws  regarding,  11.  See 
also  CHILDREN'S  CLOTHING,  CUSTOM- 
MADE  CLOTHING,  MEN'S  CLOTHING, 
READY-MADE  CLOTHING,  WEARING  AP- 
PAREL, WOMEN'S  CLOTHING. 


186 


INDEX 


COATS,  home  work  processes,  63.  See  also 
MEN'S  CLOTHING. 

COMB  INDUSTRY,  establishment  of,  119. 

CONSUMER,  protection  of,  xvii. 

CONSUMERS'  LEAGUE,  restriction  of  tene- 
ment manufacture,  21;  studies  of  con- 
ditions of  work,  138-139. 

CONTAGION,  through  home  work,  see  DIS- 
EASE, TRANSMISSION  OF. 

CONTRACT  SYSTEM,  in  connection  with  home 
work,  64;  in  clothing  industry,  68; 
neckwear,  71;  shoes  and  shoe  trim- 
mings, 73;  elastic  woven  goods,  78; 
hand-knit  goods,  81;  mesh  bags,  98-99; 
jewelry  and  silverware,  100-101;  cel- 
luloid goods,  122-123. 

CONTRACT  TAILORS,  men's  clothing  industry, 
62-63,  64. 

CONTRACTORS  FOR  HOME  WORK,  in  jewelry 
industry,  100-101;  paper  goods,  111; 
sporting  goods,  127,  128. 

CORSETS,  home  work  on,  62. 

CROCHETING,  number  of  firms  giving  out 
home  work,  xxi. 

CUSTOM-MADE  CLOTHING,  home  work  on,  63; 
seasonal  character,  64,  65. 

DANGERS  OF  HOME  WORK,  xiv.  See  also 
EVILS  OF  HOME  WORK. 

DEPENDENTS,  in  families  of  home  workers, 
50-52;  dependent  children,  xxi-xxii. 

DINING  ROOM,  use  as  work  room,  58. 

DISEASE,  number  of  licenses  revoked  be- 
cause of,  xviii;  transmission  of  through 
home  work,  118,  139,  140. 

DISTRIBUTION  OF  HOME  WORK,  methods,  60- 
61;  in  jewelry  and  silverware  industry, 
101;  paper  goods,  111;  celluloid  goods, 
122-123;  sporting  goods,  128-129. 

DISTRICT  POLICE,  home  work  licenses  se- 
cured from,  23;  duties  transferred  to 
State  Board  of  Health,  24. 

DOLLS,  home  work  on,  27. 

DOMESTIC  STATUS  OF  HOME  WORKER,  33- 
34;  table  showing,  34. 

DOMESTIC  SYSTEM,  relation  of  home  work 
to,  vii-viii. 

DRESS  TRIMMINGS,  home  work  on,  68-71; 
rates  of  pay,  70;  seasonal  character,  70. 
See  also  WOMEN'S  CLOTHING. 

EARNINGS  OF  HOME  WORKERS,  xiii,  xxii- 
xxiii,  2;  level  of  wages,  17-19;  yearly 


earnings,  39-42;  in  relation  to  age  and 
experience,  44-46;  wearing  apparel  in- 
dustry, 84-86;  jewelry  industry,  103- 
105;  paper  goods,  114-116;  celluloid 
goods,  124-125;  sporting  goods,  130- 
131;  artificial  flowers,  140;  boot  and 
shoe  industry  141;  report  of  English 
investigation,  140.  See  also  HOURLY 
RATE  OF  EARNINGS. 

ECONOMIC  EFFECTS  OF  HOME  WORK,  xiii,  xv. 

ELASTIC  WOVEN  GOODS,  76-78;  location  of 
industry,  76-77;  home  work  processes, 
77;  rates  of  pay,  77,  78;  labor  supply, 
77-78;  contract  system,  78. 

EMBROIDERY,  67,  68;  rates  per  hour,  68. 

EMPLOYMENT,  change  of,  among  home  work- 
ers, table  showing,  53. 

ENAMEL  PAINTING,  94-95;  rates  of  pay,  95; 
labor  supply,  99;  reasons  for  home 
work,  100. 

ENGLAND,  home  work  in,  137,  140. 

EVILS  OF  HOME  WORK,  viii,  19-20,  39;  re- 
port of  New  York  Factory  Investigat- 
ing Commission,  139-140;  report  of 
English  Committee,  140. 

EYE  GLASSES,  home  work  processes  on,  96. 

EYE  STRAIN,  from  tag  stringing,  108;  from 
work  on  paper  goods,  109. 

FACTORY,  definition  of,  ix. 

FACTORY  LAWS,  exemption  of  home  indus- 
tries from,  ix. 

FACTORY  WORK,  relation  to  home  work,  14- 
15,  61;  in  jewelry  and  silverware  in- 
dustries, 97-98. 

FACTORY  WORKERS,  competition  of  home 
workers  with,  xv,  2,  18-19;  relation  to 
home  workers,  3;  proportion  of  home 
workers  to,  15,  16. 

"FAMILY,"  as  used  in  reference  to  home 
worker,  7. 

FAMILIES  OF  HOME  WORKERS,  grade,  xviii; 
size,  xxiv;  economic  condition,  xiii, 
xxii-xxiii;  status  of,  18. 

FANS,  celluloid,  home  work  processes  and 
rates  of  pay,  120. 

FINLAND,  report  of  home  work  in,  142. 

FLOWERS,  artificial,  see  ARTIFICIAL  FLOWER 
MAKING,  also  PAPER  FLOWERS. 

FOOD,  tenement  house  manufacture,  21,  27. 

FOREIGN-BORN  WORKERS,  see  IMMIGRANTS 
AS  HOME  WORKERS. 

FRANCE,  home  work  in,  140-141. 


INDEX 


187 


FRENCH-CANADIANS,  employment  in  jewelry 
industry,  102,  103;  on  celluloid  goods, 
123. 

GAMES,  home  work  on,  26. 
GARMENT  TRADES,  see  WEARING  APPAREL. 
GARTERS,  see  ELASTIC  WOVEN  GOODS. 
GERMANY,  home  work  in,  141. 
GLOVES,  rates  of  pay,  79. 
GREAT  BRITAIN,  home  work  inspection,  148- 
149;  table  showing,  149. 

HAIR  BRUSHES,  see  BRUSHES. 

HAIRPINS,  celluloid,  home  work  processes, 
and  rates  of  pay,  119. 

HAND-KNIT  GOODS,  80-82;  seasonal  char- 
acter, 81 ;  rates  of  pay,  81 ;  labor  force,  82. 

HAND-MADE  CLOTHING,  home  work  on,  67- 
68. 

HANDICAPPED,  employment  of  on  home 
work,  27. 

HEALTH,  MASSACHUSETTS  STATE  BOARD  OF, 
on  status  of  home  workers,  18;  regula- 
tion of  tenement  manufacture,  24. 

HEALTH  OF  WORKERS,  see  PHYSICAL  EF- 
FECTS OF  HOME  WORK. 

"HOME,"  definition  of,  in  connection  with 
home  work,  11;  status  of,  under  home 
work,  viii-ix. 

HOME  WORK,  definition  of,  xvii,  11,  176. 

HOSIERY,  74-76;  location  of  industry,  74; 
home  work  processes,  74-75;  rates  of 
pay,  75;  labor  supply,  76. 

HOURLY  RATE  OF  EARNINGS,  x,  xiii,  xxiii, 
48-51;  on  jewelry,  105,  107. 

HOURS  OF  LABOR,  19;  in  boot  and  shoe  in- 
dustry, France,  141;  in  clothing  trades, 
Finland,  142. 

HOUSING  CONDITIONS,  xxiii. 

ILLINOIS  BUREAU  OF  LABOR  STATISTICS,  re- 
port on  sweating  system,  137. 

IMMIGRANTS  AS  HOME  WORKERS,  34,  35, 
49,  51;  overcrowding  among,  57;  in 
jewelry  industry,  102;  number  of  fam- 
ilies employed,  139. 

INCOMES  ASIDE  FROM  HOME  W^ORK,  xxii,  17, 
18,  46-48;  of  workers  on  wearing  ap- 
parel, 85-86;  jewelry  industry,  105; 
paper  goods,  116;  celluloid  goods,  125; 
sporting  goods,  131.  See  also  EARNINGS. 

INDUSTRIAL  SYSTEM,  relation  of  home  work 
to,  viii. 


INDUSTRIES  GIVING  OUT  HOME  WORK,  re 
quiring  regulation,  xix;  location,  xx- 
list  of,  5,  12-13;  detailed  reports,;  59- 
134. 

INFECTION,  through  home  work,  see  DIS- 
EASE, TRANSMISSION  OF. 

INSPECTION,  cost  of,  x;  difficulties,  xiv; 
scope  of  Massachusetts  law,  4;  defects 
of  system,  21;  reports  of  inspectors, 
143-149;  Massachusetts,  143-144;  New 
York,  144-147;  United  Kingdom,  148- 
149. 

INSPECTION  DEPARTMENT,  STATE  BOARD  OF 
LABOR  AND  INDUSTRIES,  xii,  xviii. 

INSPECTORS,  see  TENEMENT  WORK  IN- 
SPECTORS. 

INVESTIGATIONS  OF  HOME  WORK,  conclu- 
sions from  present  study,  xiii-xvi; 
scope  of  present  study,  5-9;  method, 
6;  connection  of  Women's  Educational 
and  Industrial  Union  with,  8;  special 
reports,  137-142;  Consumers'  League 
studies,  138-139;  reports  from  Euro- 
pean countries,  140-142. 

IRREGULARITY  OF  EMPLOYMENT,  see  UNEM- 
PLOYMENT. 

ITALIANS,  overcrowding  among,  56-57;  con- 
tract tailors,  63;  workers  on  celluloid 
goods,  123. 

JEWELRY,  88-107;  rates  of  pay,  48-49,  89- 
90,  93-94,  95,  96-97;  manufacturing 
centers,  88;  home  work  processes,  89- 
91;  mesh  bags,  89-91;  chain  work,  91- 
94;  painting  on  enamel,  94-95;  mis- 
cellaneous processes,  95-97;  physical 
effect,  97;  relation  of  home  to  factory 
work,  97-98;  labor  supply,  98-99; 
reasons  for  home  work,  99-100;  method 
of  distribution,  100-101;  the  worker, 
102-107;  sex  and  age,  102;  school  at- 
tendance, 103;  earnings  and  income, 
103-105;  extent  and  causes  of  non-em- 
ployment, 105-106;  working  condi- 
tions, 106;  summary,  107. 

KITCHEN,  use  as  workroom,  xiv,  xxiv,  57, 
58;  in  jewelry  manufacture,  106;  paper 
goods,  118;  celluloid  goods,  126;  sport- 
ing goods,  132. 

KNIT  GOODS,  number  of  firms  and  workers, 
xx.  See  also  HAND-KNIT  GOODS,  and 
MACHINE-KNIT  GOODS. 


188 


INDEX 


LABOR  SUPPLY  FOR  HOME  WORK,  men's 
clothing  industry,  64,  66;  women's  and 
children's  clothing,  66,  67-68;  shoes 
and  shoe  trimmings,  74;  hosiery  and 
machine-knit  goods,  76;  elastic  woven 
goods,  77-78;  jewelry  and  silverware, 
98-99;  paper  goods,  110-111;  celluloid 
goods,  122;  sporting  goods,  128. 

LABOR  AND  INDUSTRIES,  MASSACHUSETTS 
STATE  BOARD  OF,  on  home  work  legisla- 
tion, 4;  duties  and  powers,  24  (ft.  nt.); 
inspection  of  home  work,  143-144; 
study  of  licensed  home  workers,  ix-x; 
reprint  from,  xvi-xxv. 

LABOR  LAWS,  standards  for  home  and  fac- 
tory work,  ix,  4. 

LABOR  ORGANIZATIONS,  attitude  toward 
home  work,  20-21. 

LADY  INSPECTORS,  England,  extract  from 
report  on  home  work,  148. 

LEGISLATION  REGARDING  HOME  WORK, 
committee  appointed  to  consider,  ix; 
membership,  x  (ft.  nt.);  resolutions 
adopted,  x-xi;  bill  entered,  xi;  text, 
xi-xii;  organizations  endorsing,  xii; 
what  enforcement  of  present  law  in- 
volves, xv ;  scope  of  Massachusetts  law, 
4;  states  having  regulations,  table 
showing,  22;  Massachusetts  regula- 
tions, 23-25;  text  of  law,  24-25. 

LICENSE  FOR  HOME  WORK,  limitation  of 
Massachusetts  provisions,  4;  states  re- 
quiring, 22;  Massachusetts  law,  25;  li- 
censed and  unlicensed  families,  26;  no 
provision  for  paper  goods  workers,  118; 
record  of  licenses,  New  York,  147. 

LICENSING  SYSTEM,  limitations,  x;  difficul- 
ties, xiv;  extent  of,  xviii-xix;  expenses, 
xix. 

LIVING  CONDITIONS  OF  HOME  WORKERS, 
xxiv,  3, 19,  56-58;  by  industries,  56;  by 
nativity,  57;  among  workers  on  cellu- 
loid goods,  126. 

LIVING  ROOM,  use  as  workroom,  xiv. 

LIVING  WAGE,  home  work  inadequate  for, 
39. 

MACARONI,  tenement  manufacture,  27. 

MACHINE-KNIT  GOODS,  74-76;  location  of 
industry,  74;  home  work  processes,  75- 
76;  rates  of  pay,  75;  physical  effects  of 
work,  75;  labor  supply,  76;  distribu- 
tion of  goods,  76. 


MACHINE-MADE  CLOTHING,  66. 

MANUFACTURERS,  attitude  toward  home 
workers,  18. 

MARITAL  CONDITIONS  OF  HOME  WORKERS, 
3,  33. 

MARRIED  WOMEN,  proportion  of  home  work- 
ers represented  by,  xiii,  3,  4,  33;  re- 
sponsibility for  family  support,  xxi-xxii; 
employment  on  paper  goods,  114;  on 
celluloid  goods,  126. 

MEN  AS  HOME  WORKERS,  30,  31;  number 
having  other  gainful  occupation,  54- 
55;  employment  on  paper  goods,  113- 
114. 

MEN'S  CLOTHING,  62-66;  coats  and  pants, 
62-64;  location  of  industry,  62-63; 
physical  effects  of  work,  64;  labor  sup- 
ply, 64;  seasonal  character,  64,  65; 
shirts  and  pajamas,  65;  home  work 
processes,  65;  rates  of  pay,  65;  labor 
supply,  66. 

MEN'S  GARMENT  WORKERS,  strike,  20-21. 

MEN'S  NECKWEAR,  see  NECKWEAR. 

MESH  BAGS,  home  work  processes,  89-91; 
rates  of  pay,  89-90,  107;  method  of 
manufacture,  90-91;  number  of  work- 
ers, 97;  proportion  of  home  to  factory 
workers,  98;  contract  system,  99,  100- 
101;  teaching  work,  99;  seasonal  char- 
acter, 106. 

MINIMUM  WAGE  BOARDS,  for  home  work 
industries,  28,  140,  141,  142. 

MOCCASINS,  see  SHOES  AND  SHOE  TRIM- 
MINGS. 

NATIVITY  OF  HOME  WORKERS,  xxiv-xxv,  34- 
36;  per  cent  native  born,  35;  nativity 
of  fathers,  36;  hourly  earnings  by,  50- 
51;  in  jewelry  industry,  102;  celluloid 
goods,  123;  report  of  New  York  in- 
spectors, 144-147. 

NECKWEAR,  68-71;  seasonal  character,  68, 
70;  home  work  processes,  69;  rates  of 
pay,  69;  labor  supply,  70-71;  methods 
of  distribution,  71. 

NETHERLANDS,  report  of  home  work  in,  142. 

NEW  YORK  STATE,  home  work  inspection, 
144-147. 

NON-EMPLOYMENT,  see  UNEMPLOYMENT. 

NORTH  END,  BOSTON,  center  of  men's  cloth- 
ing industry,  63. 

NOVELTIES,  celluloid,  processes  and  rates 
of  pay,  120-122. 


INDEX 


189 


OCCUPATIONS  OF  HOME  WORKERS,  previous 
employment  and  training,  36-39; 
change  of  employment,  53;  other  gain- 
ful occupations,  54-55. 

OPTICAL  GOODS,  see  EYE  GLASSES. 

OVERCROWDING,  in  families  of  home  work- 
ers, 56. 

PAINTING,  see  ENAMEL  PAINTING. 

PAJAMAS,  see  MEN'S  CLOTHING. 

PANTS,  READY-MADE,  number  of  firms  and 
workers,  xx;  rate  of  pay,  63.  See 
also  MEN'S  CLOTHING,  and  RUNNING 
PANTS. 

PAPER  FLOWERS,  home  work  processes, 
109.  See  also  ARTIFICIAL  FLOWER 
MAKING. 

PAPER  GOODS,  108-118;  per  cent  of  workers 
without  training,  39;  rates  per  hour, 
48-49,  109,  116,  117;  location  of  in- 
dustry, 108;  home  work  processes,  108- 
109;  physical  effects,  109,  113;  labor 
supply,  110-111;  number  of  home 
workers,  110;  method  of  distribution, 
111,  118;  the  worker,  111-118;  sex  and 
age,  112-113,  114;  school  attendance, 
113;  earnings  and  incomes,  114-116; 
extent  and  causes  of  non-employment, 
116-118;  charges  on  earnings,  117-118; 
working  conditions,  118;  need  for  li- 
censing, 118. 

PAPER  BOXES,  home  work  processes,  108- 
109;  rates  of  pay,  109. 

PART-TIME  EMPLOYMENT,  in  connection 
with  home  work,  16. 

PHILADELPHIA  BUREAU  OF  INDUSTRIAL  STA- 
TISTICS, investigation  of  sweating  sys- 
tem, 138. 

PHYSICAL  EFFECTS  OF  HOME  WORK,  from 
manufacture  of  men's  clothing,  64; 
machine-knit  goods,  75;  elastic  woven 
goods,  77;  wearing  apparel,  83;  jewelry 
and  silverware,  97;  tag  stringing,  108; 
paper  goods,  109,  113;  celluloid  goods, 
121-122. 

PROHIBITION  OF  HOME  WORK,  x;  special 
articles,  x,  xi;  movement  for,  xiv;  en- 
forcement of,  xvi,  21-22;  hardship  in- 
volved, 27-28;  attitude  of  European 
countries,  142. 

PROTOCOL  AGREEMENT,  in  cloak-makers' 
strike,  21. 

PURSES,  see  MESH  BAGS. 


READY-MADE  CLOTHING,  see  WEARING  AP- 
PAREL. 

REGISTER,  of  home  workers  proposed,  xi. 

REGULATION  OF  HOME  WORK,  difficulties, 
xiv,  21-29;  states  having  legislation  re- 
garding, 22-23;  minimum  wage  boards, 
28;  manufacture  of  sporting  goods,  132; 
attitude  of  European  countries,  142. 

REMEDIES  FOR  HOME  WORK  EVILS,  report 
of  Illinois  Bureau  of  Statistics,  137; 
recommendations  of  European  reports, 
140-141. 

RENT,  paid  by  home  workers,  xxii;  table 
showing,  55. 

ROOMS,  number  in  tenements  of  workers, 
xxiv. 

RUNNING  PANTS,  home  work  processes,  127; 
rates  of  pay,  128;  method  of  distribu- 
tion, 128-129. 

RUSSIAN  JEWS,  as  contract  tailors,  63. 

RUSSIANS,  overcrowding  among,  56. 

SANITARY  CONDITIONS,  tenement  work- 
rooms, Massachusetts  law,  25;  home 
work  on  jewelry,  106, 107;  paper  goods, 
118;  sporting  goods,  132;  brushes  and 
silk  goods,  133. 

SAXONY,  home  workers  in,  141. 

SCHEDULES,  used  in  home  work  study,  speci- 
men forms,  176-181. 

SCHOOL  ATTENDANCE  OF  HOME  WORKERS, 
table  showing,  32;  workers  on  wearing 
apparel,  83;  jewelry,  103;  paper  goods, 
113;  ceUuloid  goods,  124. 

SEASONAL  CHARACTER  OF  HOME  WORK,  xiii; 
effect  on  earnings,  17,  19;  on  employ- 
ment, 43;  in  clothing  trade,  65,  66. 

"SEAMING,"  on  machine-knit  goods,  75. 

SEED  PEARLS,  cementing  on  pins,  95. 

SEWING,  number  of  firms  giving  out  home 
work,  xxi. 

SEX  OF  WORKERS,  30-31;  on  wearing  ap- 
parel, 82-83;  jewelry,  102;  paper 
goods,  112-113,  114;  celluloid  goods, 
123;  sporting  goods,  129-130. 

SHIRTS,  see  MEN'S  CLOTHING. 

SHOE  INDUSTRY,  investigation  of  home  work 
in,  141. 

SHOE  ORNAMENTS,  see  SHOES  AND  SHOE 
TRIMMINGS. 

SHOES  AND  SHOE  TRIMMINGS,  71-74;  loca- 
tion of  industry,  xx,  71;  hand- work,  72; 
home  work  processes,  72-73;  seasonal 


190 


INDEX 


character,  73,  74;  contract  system,  73; 
labor  supply,  74;  report  of  Massa- 
chusetts inspectors,  143-144. 

SILK  GOODS,  home  work  on,  133,  134;  rates 
of  pay,  134. 

SILVERWARE  MANUFACTURE,  88-107.  See 
also  JEWELRY. 

SLIPPERS,  see  SHOES. 

SPANGLES,  see  PAPER  GOODS. 

SPORTING  GOODS,  127-132;  centers  of  in- 
dustry, 127;  products,  127;  processes, 
127;  rates  of  pay,  48-49,  128;  labor 
supply,  128;  method  of  distribution, 
128-129;  seasonal  character,  128,  131- 
132;  the  worker,  129-132;  sex  and  age, 
129-130;  earnings  and  incomes,  130- 
131;  working  conditions,  131-132. 

SQUASH  BALLS,  home  work  processes,  127; 
rates  of  pay,  128. 

STONE  SETTING,  95. 

STRAW  HATS,  home  work  processes  and  rates 
of  pay,  80. 

STRIKES,  home  work  issue  in,  20-21. 

SUSPENDERS,  see  ELASTIC  WOVEN  GOODS. 

SWEAT-SHOPS,  clothing  manufacture  in, 
137-138. 

"SWEATING  SYSTEM,"  definition,  137;  re- 
ports of  investigations,  137-142. 

TAG  STRINGING,  employment  of  children, 
20,  32;  home  work  processes,  108;  ef- 
fect on  health,  108;  regularity  of  em- 
ployment, 110-111;  distribution,  111; 
piece  rates,  117. 

TAILORS,  employment  of  home  workers,  62- 
63,  64. 

TENEMENT  DISTRICTS,  proportion  of  home 
workers  in,  3,  16-17;  center  of  clothing 
industry,  62. 

"TENEMENT  TAG,"  use  in  regulating  home 
work,  145,  146. 

TENEMENT  HOUSE  MANUFACTURE,  restric- 
tions on  employment  of  children  in,  3; 
regulation  of  workrooms,  22,  25. 

TENEMENT  WORK  INSPECTORS,  duties,  xvi, 
xvii;  difficulties  encountered,  145-146. 
See  also  INSPECTION. 

TENEMENT  WORKROOMS,  definition,  23. 

TENNIS  BALLS,  home  work  processes,  127; 
rates  of  pay,  128;  seasonal  character  of 
work,  128. 

TOBACCO,  tenement  manufacture,  20,  27. 

TOOTH  BRUSHES,  see  BRUSHES. 


TOYS,  home  work  on,  27. 

TRAINING,  received  by  home  workers,  38-39. 

UNDERWEAR,  home  work  on,  67;  study 
made  by  Women's  Educational  and  In- 
dustrial Union,  reference,  8. 

UNEMPLOYMENT,  in  connection  with  home 
work,  3,  4,  17,  19,  61;  extent  and  causes 
of,  41-43;  in  wearing  apparel  industry, 
87;  jewelry  industry,  105-106;  paper 
goods,  116-118;  celluloid  goods,  125- 
126;  sporting  goods,  131-132. 

UNION  LABEL,  effect  in  tenement  manufac- 
ture, 20. 

UNITED  STATES  COMMITTEE  ON  MANUFAC- 
TURES, investigation  of  sweating  sys- 
tem, 137-138. 

UNITED  GARMENT  WORKERS  OF  AMERICA, 
report  on  sweat-shop  legislation,  138. 

WAGE  BOARDS,  see  MINIMUM  WAGE  BOARDS. 

WAGES  OF  HOME  WORKERS,  low  level  of, 
xiii;  17-19;  compared  with  factory 
workers,  15,  16;  in  garment  trades, 
138,  139.  See  also  EARNINGS  OF  HOME 
WORKERS. 

WEARING  APPAREL,  definition,  xi-xii;  home 
work  regulation,  xvi-xvii,  4,  24-25; 
rates  of  pay,  xxiii,  48-49;  overcrowd- 
ing among  workers,  56;  processes 
adapted  to  home  work,  59;  methods  of 
securing  workers,  59-60;  seasonal  char- 
acter, 60-61;  proportion  of  home  to 
factory  workers,  61;  distribution,  61- 
62;  industries  employing  home  work, 
62;  the  worker,  82-87;  sex  and  age, 
82-83;  school  attendance,  83;  earnings 
and  incomes,  84-86;  extent  and  causes 
of  non-employment,  87;  sweating  sys- 
tem, 137,  138;  unsanitary  conditions  of 
manufacture,  140. 

WILLOW  PLUMES,  home  work  on,  62. 

WOMEN  AS  CONTRACTORS,  for  jewelry  fac- 
tories, 101. 

WOMEN  HOME  WORK  INSPECTORS,  148. 

WOMEN  AS  HOME  WORKERS,  dependency, 
xiii ;  number  having  dependents,  51 ;  num- 
ber having  other  gainful  occupations, 
54-55;  men's  clothing,  64;  women's  and 
children's  clothing,  67;  wearing  apparel, 
82,  83;  jewelry  industry,  102, 107;  paper 
goods,  114;  celluloid  goods,  123;  sporting 
goods,  129-130. 


INDEX 


191 


WOMEN'S  CLOTHING,  66-68;  location  of  in- 
dustry, 66;  home  work  processes,  66; 
rates  of  pay,  66,  67,  141;  labor  supply, 
66,  67-68;  hand-work,  67-68;  advan- 
tage of  home  work,  68. 

WOMEN'S  EDUCATIONAL  AND  INDUSTRIAL 
UNION,  part  in  home  work  investiga- 
tion, 8. 


WORKROOM,  character  of  room  so  used,  xiv, 
57-58;  condition  of,  xxiv. 

WORKSHOP,  definition  of,  23. 

WORKERS,  protection  of,  xviii;  location,  xix- 
xx ;  type  of,  in  wearing  apparel  indus- 
try, 82-87;  jewelry,  102-107;  paper 
goods,  111-118;  celluloid  goods,  123- 
126;  sporting  goods,  129-132. 


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